Not Everything Is Black and White: Dramione
by JFW1415
Summary: Voldemort was destroyed after 6th year but there are rumors the Death Eaters may be returning. Hermione and Draco have been named Heads and are given the task of reuniting the school, but first the must unite themselves. D/Hr and H/G. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is my first Harry Potter fanfic, and I hope you enjoy it! I'm a HUGE fan of Hermione/Draco in the books (but NOT in the movies!), so I was excited to write this.

Please don't become upset if everything isn't accurate. I haven't read the books in a few years, and I don't have the best memory. I'm trying to use Google to find name spellings and such, but I'm not too worried. I wanted to explore their characters, not the details of magic. Some people are dead, some aren't. It should make sense as you read, but if you're confused, feel free to ask in comments!

And, of course, I do not know anything you recognize.

**Chapter One**

Hermione Granger sat at her kitchen table with her parents, tapping her foot incessantly. She was waiting for the mail to come. The mailman had already been by, but she was waiting for owl post: her Hogwarts letter would arrive that day.

"Hermione, honey, please relax," her mother said, looking up from her newspaper and setting her mug of coffee down. "I'm sure you made Head Girl. You had no competition." Her husband nodded encouragingly next to her.

Hermione sighed. "I know Mum, I just can't help but worry. After the war last year… well, there are a lot of very capable witches in Hogwarts. And Professor McGonagall may feel that after six years of crazy adventures, I need a year to rest."

Her father laughed. "I don't think anyone could force you to rest! How many classes are you taking this year? Twenty?"

"Only a couple," she mumbled, looking over her shoulder at the open window, willing an owl to fly through it.

Her parents smiled at each other, both returning to their newspapers while their daughter continued to chew on her lip, desperate for the news.

"It's here!" she squealed, jumping up and running over to the window, where a great tawny owl had just flown in. She quickly untied the letter from its leg and broke the typical Hogwarts seal, her hands shaking as the owl flew away. Her parents smiled at her from the table, putting their papers down to hear the inevitable news.

Hermione's eyes scanned over the page, widening increasingly as she read over the words. She looked up at her parents, a grin on her face. "I made it!" she said, hopping from foot to foot. Her parents laughed at her excitement as she let the badge fall onto her open palm. "It's here… I'm Head Girl!"

"Congratulations, sweet heart," her mother said, smiling warmly at her daughter. Hermione grinned back.

"Thanks! I need to go write Harry and Ron!" She rushed up to her room, going straight to her desk to pull out a piece of parchment.

_Dear Harry and Ron,_

_I made Head Girl! I was so worried that Professor McGonagall would have chosen another after all that happened last year, but she picked me! I can't believe it! Did either of you make Head Boy? I hope so, though I suppose Professor McGonagall would want the Head Boy and Girl to be from different houses…_

_My parents are bringing me to Diagon Alley next week. Do you want to meet up there to buy our supplies?_

_Love,_

_Hermione_

Hermione held up the parchment to reread it before tying it up, satisfied. She stood up to send it off, then faltered. She had forgotten that she had no way to send it; during the school year she had the school owls, and during the summer she simply would respond to the boys when Hedwig or Pig came.

She sighed, tucking the paper into her pocket. She knew Harry and Ron would write her soon about meeting in Diagon Alley, so she decided to just wait until then. She sat down on her bed and began to read through the rest of the papers in the envelope, her excitement rising as she read through her list of books for the year.

She fell back, her curly hair framing her face and her hands clasping her Hogwarts letter against her stomach. She was Head Girl, and in only a few short days she would be back at Hogwarts. After so many years immersed in the world of magic, she felt out of place amongst Muggles, even her own parents. She had lived through so much that she just couldn't discuss with anyone who wasn't magic. But more than that, she was beginning to fall behind in everything else Muggle related. She often forgot simple things, like that the post didn't come on Sundays or that owls were wild. And she was out of date with the new technology, being completely baffled by computers, which even her parents had mastered. Things that used to come easy to her now challenged her more than they should.

But still, she was happy for the change. She had done so much at Hogwarts that she couldn't have even imagined doing in her old school, and her Head Girl badge proved that. She gently rubbed the metal, lost in thought. The new school year would be different; for one, there wasn't the threat of Voldemort, but there also wasn't the safety of Professor Dumbledore. She sighed, remembering the kind man's death. Harry had attempted to explain the night's events to her, but even he didn't completely understand. It had been a mass of secret agents, traitors, and switching sides at the last moment.

She closed her eyes at the memory. The scene had calmed down after a while, many of the Death Eaters having retreated or died, and Harry had walked through the wreckage silently, looking down at all the bodies surrounding him. His friends, teachers, enemies; all laid on the ground, injured or dead. He had stopped by Ginny, kneeling down to hold her close to him. Hermione had watched as he whispered something in her ear, then stand up and face Voldemort, who was standing quietly to the side examining his work. There was a duel, and just like that Voldemort was gone, finally joining the destruction that he had caused. Harry fell to his knees and cried, and the whole school was silent.

Hermione shook her head, bringing herself to present day. The war was over now. The scars remained, but they were slowly healing. And she would have a chance to aid in the healing, to encourage the inter-House unity that Professor Dumbledore had so wanted. The war was over, and now all that was left was picking up the pieces.

She smiled, holding her badge close to her. She was ready for her job, and was excited to meet the Head Boy and get started.


	2. Chapter 2

Here is chapter two! You get a glimpse of Malfoy in this scene, and some Ginny (because I just love her). Reviews equal updates, so read and review! I have another few chapters already written (and longer than this one!) so it's up to you!

As always, I own nothing you recognize.

**Chapter Two**

"All right honey, are you sure you have everything?" asked Hermione's mother, fussing over Hermione's coat buttons. "Enough skirts? A toothbrush?"

"Mum, I'm fine," Hermione replied, pushing her mother's hand away. She was sure she'd miss her mother in a few weeks, but at the moment she was simply desperate to enter The Leaky Cauldron and return to the world of magic. Ron had finally owled her, requesting she meet them at Diagon Alley and stay the remaining days before term at the Burrow. "Trust me, after last year this one will be a breeze!"

"I know honey, but you're Head Girl now, and you're already so busy with your studies…"

Her father placed his calloused hands on her mother's shoulders. "Relax," he murmured. "She'll be fine. She always is."

Hermione smiled and reached out to take her mother's hand. "Dad's right. I'm safe and happy at Hogwarts. And I'll write often, you know I will."

"I know." She pulled her daughter in for a hug, placing a kiss on Hermione's soft curly hair. "I love you."

"I love you too," Hermione replied, hugging her father as well. She stepped back with a satisfied sigh. "Well that's everything, I suppose. How do I look?" Although she didn't often think about appearances, she knew as Head Girl younger witches and wizards would be looking up to her, and she wanted to fit the part of the wise witch.

"Confident," her father assured her. "And beautiful. You'll do great." Hermione smiled at her father's praise, but couldn't help having a feeling of doubt deep inside. For her entire wizarding life, she had been known as Harry Potter's best friend, the brains behind the war. But now she would have to reinvent herself, as would everyone else. She had a sad feeling that this year would be nothing like those in the past, and wasn't sure she wanted the change.

"Thanks Dad. Good bye for now!" She grabbed the handle of her luggage and turned around to enter the pub, where she could store her things while she shopped. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and entered the world of magic once more.

Looking around, Hermione could see the changes that had been made since the end of the war. Things had seemed to have an ever present dark tint to them during the last few months, with people hurrying to get home, never staying to chat. Now the pub was bright, the windows flung open, and people in various robes sat at the tables, drinking and enjoying one another's company.

"Hello Hermione dear," said the innkeeper, wiping her hands on her stained apron. "Can I get you anything? A warm butter beer, perhaps? The afternoon is a tad nippy." Hermione paused for a moment, confused as to how the woman knew her name. She had spent the summer being a nobody, and it was strange coming back into a world where everyone knew her. She couldn't imagine how strange it must be for Harry.

"Not right now, thanks. My friends are waiting for me in the alley. Could you show me where I can put my things while I shop?"

"Of course dearie, just this way." Hermione followed the woman to the back of the pub where there were lockers for wizards to leave their items while shopping. After handing her some money Hermione left the pub to meet Harry and Ron.

The alley was just as bustling as the pub had been, and Hermione smiled as she saw the young witches and wizards gazing in the store windows at the new brooms, books, and robes, remembering her own first experience here only seven short years ago. She was glad that these children would be able to fully experience the wizarding world. Most of the first years during the war – those who had been allowed to attend – had been forced to arrive at Hogwarts wearing used robes with hand-me-down books and wands chosen by their parents on a brief, solo trip to Diagon Alley. Parents had been too afraid to bring their children there for years, but now youth once again lit up the streets.

"Decided to return, have you, Granger?" asked an all-too-familiar voice. Hermione steeled herself before turning to face the blonde boy who had come up beside her.

"I should be asking you the same, Malfoy. After supporting Voldemort so blatantly, I'm surprised you aren't in Azkaban," she snapped back, her voice full of malice. She was worried enough about the upcoming year without Malfoy making it worse.

"Apparently McGonagall doesn't agree with your view of me," Malfoy said, the sneer gone from his face. "She was so sure I should return that she made me Head Boy."

Hermione froze at these words, her planned retort frozen on her lips. "Head Boy?" she whispered. Malfoy could _not _be Head Boy! Sure, he had been a prefect, but he had supported Voldemort more than any other student. How could Professor McGonagall view him as a suitable role-model for the younger students?

"Yes, Granger, Head Boy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to do some shopping. I've seemed to outgrow all my old robes," he said, flexing his toned arms with a smirk. Hermione watched him leave, stunned. She was going to be Head Girl… with _Malfoy_ as Head Boy.

"Hermione!" called out a much more inviting voice. Harry raised one arm in a wave, his other busy holding Ginny close to him. The couple had been almost inseparable since the war without the constant threat of death over their heads. Ron was hovering around them, shooting awkward glances toward Hermione. There had been a spark between them during the war, Hermione could not deny that. But there was something holding her back, something that Ron could not seem to push through. She doubted any boy ever would.

"Harry! Ginny! Ron! How are you all? I've missed you so much, you promised you would write more this summer!" she said in a mock disapproving tone. "I've been starved for companionship; my parents insisted on teaching me the basics of _dentistry_ this summer! They seem to think it's a reasonable job in the Wizard world, but we just use magic to fix teeth! Which I wish I had known _before_ the years of braces," she added, touching her lip at the memory of pain. Her friends laughed.

"Sorry Hermione, we just got so caught up in everything this summer," Harry apologized.

"And _these _two couldn't keep their bloody hands off one another," added Ron with a scowl, still unhappy about his little sister's new relationship. Hermione shot a grin at Ginny, happy for her best girl friend.

"We have plenty of time to catch up this week!" Ginny said, pulling away from Harry's grasp and grabbing Hermione's wrist. "Come on – I want to go shopping!" The girls laughed as they left the boys standing in the middle of the street, unsure whether to follow. "We'll meet you at The Leaky Cauldron in three hours!" Ginny called back over her shoulder, her long red hair swinging as she hurried off.

Ginny pulled Hermione into a shop stuffed full of various colors and fabrics crowding around them on all sides. "It's time for a makeover," she announced, releasing her hold on Hermione and turning to ruffle through the hangers, pulling pieces at random and shoving them against Hermione's chest. After finishing her rummage through one rack, she turned to face her friend, looking at her seriously and cutting off Hermione's inevitable protests. "Now that the war is over you need to begin focusing on _you_. Your whole life has been about helping Harry and Ron and defeating Voldemort. Well, Voldemort's dead, Harry and Ron are big boys, and you're seventeen, for goodness sakes! It wouldn't kill you if you began to dress your age, or, I don't know, _date?_" Hermione instantly blushed at the suggestion, turning away.

"Well, I don't deny that my look could use some updating. But I'm certainly not looking to date anyone at the moment. With NEWTs, being Head Girl… I'll be lucky to find time to sleep!" Her mind instantly turned to Ron, but she shoved the thought out of her head.

Ginny sighed, leading Hermione over to the fitting rooms. "We'll see. With the war over, everyone's in a cheery mood… maybe someone new will catch your eye. It wouldn't kill you to have a little fling, you know."

Once again Hermione's mind flickered back to the summer after fifth year, and the stolen kiss she had shared with Ron beneath the staircase while she had stayed with him at the end of the summer. Neither had mentioned it during the school year, but now that they were returning to the scene, would the same thing happen? And if it did, how would she tell Ron that she didn't think he was the best man for her? That he was a good mate, but that was all he'd ever be?

"I think I just need to focus on myself this year," Hermione said, partially obliging. "You're right: I've been obsessed with the Voldemort hunt for so many years now, I hardly know myself other than being an encyclopedia for the boys. Maybe a little makeover wouldn't be so bad."

Ginny grinned, knowing that the dating question would be much easier to tackle once Hermione noticed boys noticing _her_ – which they soon would, once she began taking the time to brush her hair in the morning and look up from her books. Hermione was a very pretty girl, but a tad of mouse and lip gloss couldn't kill anyone.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy this new chapter; there's a really cute scene with Ron in it! My chapters are getting longer (my latest one is 7 pages, compared to the two page first chapter!) I have about 11,000 words written already, so if you want to read it, then review! I absolutely love reviews, the longer the better. :)

Also, sorry for deleting and re-adding this chapter, the line breaks weren't working the first time.

Anything you recognize is not mine. 

**Chapter Three**

After several hours of shopping, in which Hermione constantly fought Ginny to keep her from completely changing her look, the two girls entered The Leaky Cauldron laden with bags from various clothing and school supply stores. Hermione was rather happy with her selection. She couldn't wait to begin her books, her parchment smelled wonderful, and her clothes were actually rather pretty and not too drastic a change.

"Hello boys," she said, dropping her bags beside the bench and sitting down next to Ron, allowing Ginny to take the empty seat by Harry.

"Hey," they replied, sipping butter beers. Two full glasses sat untouched on the table, which she and Ginny immediately grabbed, thirsty after a long day of shopping. "Did you find everything?" Harry asked Ginny, attempting to be the polite boyfriend, but obviously not interested. His fingers fidgeted around what Hermione suspected was a Snitch – he had been going on about how he wanted one of his own for ages and she wouldn't have put it past him to shell out a great deal of galleons at Quality Quidditch Supplies for the purchase.

"It was great," Ginny replied, choosing to ignore Harry's lack of enthusiasm. I found some really pretty parchment to send letters home to Mum, and Hermione got some _gorgeous_ clothes," she added pointedly at Ron. Hermione shot her a look – she did _not_ want Ginny adding to anything that might or might not be going on!

"Yes, Ginny helped me find some lovely clothes. I'm excited to get back to the Burrow though – the book list this year is so much more advanced and I cannot wait to begin reading them!" Her friends laughed at her comment, but she simply ignored them, having accepted long ago that their love for books was not as strong as her own. The group continued to chat, relaxed in one another's' company.

"So," began Harry, after the group had caught up on one another's activities from the summer. "What do you think Hogwarts will be like this year?" He looked around at the three surrounding him, curious for their answers. The war had left Hogwarts extremely divided and without a headmaster, and he did not see how it could recover easily, despite the large improvements that had been made in most areas of the Wizarding world already.

"Well, Professor McGonagall will be Headmistress, obviously," Hermione replied, shaking her head at the boys' confused expressions. "Honestly boys, you'd think that by seventh year you'd begin to _read_. She signed out letters as _Headmistress_. And who else would Professor Dumbledore leave to replace him, anyways?"

"I guess so," Harry relented, "But I don't see how she'll have much success. The Houses are likely to be extremely divided. So many people were discovered to have been supporting Voldemort, I don't see how that will ever go away. Especially Slytherin…"

"It'll begin with each of us," Ginny said, putting down her mug. "Especially you three. If you forgive the Slytherins, it will allow others to do the same. We need to be the example, those who fought in the war for so many years. The war is over. Those who deserve to be locked up are in Azkaban. Anyone who returns to school should be treated with respect."

Hermione agreed with Ginny, but she couldn't help but shudder at the memory of her encounter with Malfoy. As Head Boy and Girl they would be the head role models for the school, but by their very nature they were enemies. While she could accept many of the Slytherins, forgiving Malfoy would be a completely different story. She sighed. "I suppose as Head Girl I should be leading this united feeling that Dumbledore used to speak of. But I don't know, some of the Slytherins…"

"The bad ones are gone," Ginny reiterated firmly. "Anyone attending the school deserves to be attending." She was adamant about this, though none of them knew why. But there had been moments during the war when she had mulled over how much easier it would be to join Voldemort, how if she were born a Malfoy she probably wouldn't have even attempted to resist. Of course she knew how evil he was, but his power was so alluring, and it was difficult to be on the losing side for so many years. It had seemed that Voldemort would win for quite a while, and she could understand why so many people joined him near the end.

After a long silence, Ron finally spoke up. "Do you have any idea who the Head Boy is, Hermione?"

She froze, not expecting the question. "I'm not sure," she lied, looking into the froth of her butter beer. "I had hoped it would be either you or Harry, but I suppose Professor McGonagall would want us from separate houses."

"A Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff Head Boy wouldn't be too bad. But I couldn't stand having a Slytherin with that much power… I just know he'd hold it over all our heads and keep us from winning the Cup somehow. We need to cream their team this year," said Harry. His face was set with determination, his fingers clenched around what Hermione was now sure was a snitch. Ginny simply sighed as Ron nodded encouragingly.

"Yea, mate. Inter-House unity with those guys, I can deal with. But not Slytherin." Hermione sipped from her drink, thankful that she had chosen not to tell the boys that Malfoy had been selected as Head Boy. She hardly knew what to think of it herself; she didn't need their prejudiced input at this point.

* * *

><p>The foursome arrived at the Burrow that evening with their bags and, in Hermione and Harry's cases, their trunks. The train would leave in two days, so they had plenty of time to spend together before going. Ron and Harry trudged up the stairs, which creaked beneath the weight of their purchases, planning a game of Quidditch for the morning. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley followed them, calling out a good-night to the girls.<p>

"Want some tea?" Ginny asked, placing her bags down and entering the kitchen. Hermione agreed, lowering her bags slowly and looking around the home with a smile on her face. Although her house was lovely, the Burrow always seemed so _lived _in. The room was lit by a dull fire, flickering off the wooden walls and floors. The house was alive, both with chatter from the many Weasley's upstairs and the various magical contraptions working.

Ginny brought two steaming cups over to the kitchen table where Hermione sat exhausted from the long day. "I must say, it's a relief to be tired from shopping rather than from running from Voldemort," Hermione stated, sipping her tea. "I feel… content. Like the day is complete. I never felt that way during the war."

Ginny sipped silently, allowing both of them to slip into their thoughts uninterrupted.

"The Head Boy's a Slytherin, isn't he?" Ginny asked after a few minutes. She looked up at Hermione, her eyes seeking the truth.

"Yes," Hermione admitted, knowing she couldn't lie to Ginny. "I found out just before I met you guys. It's… it's Malfoy."

Ginny nodded, unsurprised. "I figured as much. Professor McGonagall is really stressing the inter-House unity, and who better to do it than a Gryffindor, one of the Golden Trio, and the most public Slytherin? Besides, he _is_ a good student, grade wise. And he repented, supposedly."

Hermione sighed, having already come to the same realization. "I know. He actually gives me some competition in classes. But still, after all he did… he helped in Professor Dumbledore's death!"

"Out of fear," Ginny corrected. "Can you imagine refusing Voldemort? We can never understand what the Slytherins went through fully, because we were never solicited by Voldemort. But Malfoy's parents were huge with him. It was _expected_ out of him from birth. It would have meant death if he refused."

Hermione had never really considered this. Her path had been set upon her entrance at Hogwarts; she was Muggle-born, one of those Voldemort wanted to rid from the world. She never had to face his temptations. If she had, if he had gotten to her before she met Harry and Ron, would she have fought on the opposite side, or at least considered it?

"I guess not," she admitted. "It's hard to go against what your parents expect out of you."

"So how are you going to manage it? I mean, he may have had reasons for his actions, but he has still been horrible to you for the past six years. Can you put it all aside for the sake of Hogwarts?"

"I guess I'll have to. I'm certainly not going to be the one stopping the Houses from getting along. I suppose Malfoy mightn't be so bad without Harry around – he seems to especially hate him, and simply insults me as a second-thought a lot of the time. Maybe I can get through to him, and even patch up their friendship." She grinned. "They'll be old chums in no time!"

Ginny laughed, quickly covering her mouth so as to not wake the house. "Yes, I'm sure Harry will have Malfoy over for dinner during the holidays," she replied with mock seriousness. They giggled at the thought.

Hermione sighed contently. "It's so nice to just _laugh_," she said, taking her last sip of tea. "Well, I'd better go up to bed. I'm sure the boys' yelling in the fields will wake me up bright and early! Are you coming?"

"No, you go ahead," Ginny replied, continuing to drink her tea slowly.

Hermione was halfway up the narrow, spiraling staircase when she bumped into Ron. Bits of light peeked out from beneath doors at the top of the stairs, but other than that the area was completely dark.

"Oh, 'Mione…" said Ron, flustered, quickly straightening his maroon night-clothes. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"It's fine," she replied, looking away from him quickly, longing for the comfort of a bed. The situation was just like the year previous, when they had shared their first kiss, but none of the emotions were the same. "I was just heading up to bed. What are you doing awake?"

"I… I was just coming to check on you and Ginny," he replied. He started to reach for her hand, but paused when he saw the expression on her face. He struggled to fill the awkward silence. "But I guess you guys are going up too. So I'll just go back to bed… g'night, then."

"Good night," she replied, moving to continue up the stairs. After only a few steps Ron called out to her. She closed her eyes, afraid of the coming conversation.

"Yes, Ron?" she asked, praying that he wouldn't ask what she knew he would.

He shuffled his feet, working hard to avoid her eyes. "What… what happened… you know, between us? I mean, last year I thought…"

She sighed. "I thought so too, Ron. But… I don't know. The war's changed us all."

"I wish it hadn't."

Hermione walked down the few stairs until her head was level with Ron, who was usually a foot taller than her. His eyes looked dead, and she wanted desperately to reach out and hold him, comfort him. "Me too. But what's done is done. We have a whole new world of adventures ahead of us this year, and we'll finally not be tied down by Voldemort."

Ron nodded reluctantly, knowing she was right but hating it. "I did love you, you know, 'Mione," he murmured. "At one point… I really thought we'd be together."

"I did too," she whispered. "But we're still best friends, and that's something. Things just didn't work out well. Timing…"

"We could again, you know."

Hermione bit her lip, holding back the tears she feared were about to fall. "I don't think so Ron. We've both changed too much." She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the sight of Ron and his pain. "I'm so sorry Ron." She turned and ran up the remainder of the stairs, flinging herself down on her pull-out bed and letting out a heavy sob.

* * *

><p>Hermione spent much of the next day hidden in Ginny's room, immersing herself in the world of potions and charms. If the younger girl had heard her sobs the night before, she didn't let on. Instead, Ginny sat at her desk in a pretty blue dress, brushing her hair out thoughtfully.<p>

"I'm going to see if this can get Harry away from the sky," Ginny said, laughing as she gestured to her clothing. "Want to come? We can all go for a walk or something."

Hermione shook her head, turning the page of her book. She knew Ginny wanted some alone time with Harry before the term began. "No, I'm fine. I want to get a head start on these books before classes start. I don't see _how_ I'm going to find the time to get all my school work done this year."

Ginny hesitated, looking longingly out the window at the clear blue sky. "I could join you. It never hurts to get a head start…"

"Don't be silly," Hermione replied, looking up and forcing a smile onto her lips. "I'll be fine. You and Harry go enjoy the weather."

Ginny nodded and left the room, secretly glad to escape. She loved Hermione like a sister, but she wasn't one to choose studying over the outdoors.

"Harry!" she called out as she reached the Quidditch field, looking up at the blurs that were the boys. "Come down here! I have a surprise for you!" She held her hands behind her back, grinning mischievously.

Harry glanced down at the redhead, then shot down at her at top speed. She laughed as he pulled to a stop an inch from her face, knowing that he was skilled enough to not accidently hurt her. "What is it?" he asked, trying to peek around her to see what was in her hands.

"Close your eyes," she replied. He obliged, and she leaned forward and pecked him on the lips. "Surprise!"

"You two are disgusting," said Ron, coming down to land beside them. There were deep purple circles beneath his eyes from lack of sleep the night before. He slid off his broom and pretended to be inspecting the handle as he asked, "Is… Hermione coming out too?"

Ginny bit her lip and glanced at Harry, wondering how much he knew. "No, I think she wants to get ahead in her reading. She's worried about not having much time as Head Girl this year."

Ron clenched a fist around his broomstick. "If a bloody Slytherin makes Head Boy I swear I'll-"

"You'll _what_, Ronald?" asked Ginny, putting a hand on her hip. "Hex him? You better not. This year is about inter-House unity, and you are going to be cordial to _every_ student."

"Whatever. Where are you two going?"

Harry shrugged, looking at Ginny for a response. "We're going for a walk, and no, you may not come. You ought to practice some more before the season starts, since you're so desperate to beat Slytherin," she said.

"Please, we'll beat them no sweat."

Ginny rolled her eyes, grabbing Harry's hand and leading him away. "Bye!" she called over her shoulder, leaving Ron alone in the large, empty field.

In Ginny's room, Hermione had given up her façade of reading. With becoming Head Girl, finding out that Malfoy was Head Boy, and the near kiss with Ron, she couldn't focus on anything. She slammed the book shut and went over to Ginny's desk, pulling out parchment and a quill. She could at least manage one problem.

_Dear Malfoy,_

_I'm afraid I owe you an apology: my words in Diagon Alley were cruel and uncalled for. If Professor McGonagall believes that you deserve to be attending Hogwarts, it is not my place to disagree._

_Last year Professor Dumbledore stressed how important inter-House unity was. The war drove a wedge between all of us, and this year it is time to mend that. As Head Boy and Girl, we must be the example. I know we don't get along, and that six years of hatred won't disappear overnight. But I believe that this year we should make an effort to be civil to one another, at least while we're in the company of younger students._

_Hope you are well,_

_Hermione Granger_

Hermione reread the letter, finally satisfied. Several versions lay in a waste basket by her feet, crumpled and thrown aside. She knew Malfoy would simply laugh at her if she voiced her thoughts in person but maybe the letter would allow him to consider her view more reasonably. Besides, they had a job to do, and being civil to one another would make the job much easier.

She rolled the letter and tied it with a ribbon, walking upstairs to the boys' room to borrow an owl. Tying the letter to Hedwig's leg, she whispered in her ear. "Bring this to the Draco Malfoy." She smiled at her foolishness. There was no one around, but she was still ashamed of the fact that she was writing to Malfoy. So far she wasn't even taking her own advice of unity. It would certainly take some getting used to.


	4. Chapter 4

Here's chapter four! Not too much happens in this chapter, but I'm attempting to build up the relationships between the various characters and I hope you'll enjoy it. I have chapter five written already (seven pages, whereas this one is only five) so if you want it review like crazy and it'll go up faster - maybe even tonight! I've been MIA lately (I had my wisdom teeth out last week) but I'll be writing again now that I'm off my pain meds.

As always, anything you recognize is not mine.

**Chapter Four**

"I wish I were a seventh year too," grumbled Ginny as she slumped in her seat beside Harry on the train. The morning had been hectic as always, even with only four students going to school, and everyone in the group was cranky.

"Soon enough," replied Hermione, looking out the window at the fields rushing by. She knew that shortly she would be required to go to the compartment with the other prefects and the Head Boy, but she was putting it off as long as possible. She wanted to just stay with her friends without the stress of the job.

"Shouldn't you be in the prefect compartment?" asked Harry, reading her thoughts.

"Yea, you need to let us know who got Head Boy," added Ron through a mouth of chocolate frogs. He licked the chocolate off his fingers and Hermione cringed.

"I guess you're right. Oh, I really wish one of you had been made a prefect this year. It's going to be so strange not seeing you all the time."

"You have classes, and time in the common room," said Ginny consolingly, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Nothing's changing. Go on, you need to address the prefects before we reach the school."

Hermione reluctantly got up, fidgeting anxiously with her soft pink sweater, one that Ginny had picked out. "All right. I'll see you guys in the Great Hall, I suppose…"

"Bye," said the boys, their mouths stuffed with food. Ginny offered an encouraging smile and waved as Hermione stepped out of the compartment. She shut the door behind her, took a deep breath, and stepped forward to go to the prefects' compartment – bumping right into Malfoy.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed. Malfoy seemed to have a bad habit of sneaking up on her, and she hoped it wouldn't continue throughout the year; she was already stressed enough without getting a heart attack every five seconds. She looked up at the boy who was now a good foot taller than her, and for a moment was overwhelmed by his sweet-smelling cologne. A raise of his eyebrow snapped her out of her daze, and she quickly stepped back.

"You're late, Granger? I would have thought a goody-two-shoes like you would have been the first in the compartment."

"I was simply spending some time with my friends before greeting the new prefects," she replied coolly. Her mind flashed back to the letter she had sent him; it would be very difficult to remain civil if he insisted on insulting her every time they spoke.

Malfoy didn't reply, but stepped back to allow her through. She nodded at him curtly and turned to lead the way to the prefect compartment, lifting her chin and hoping she appeared more composed than she was feeling.

The compartment hushed when she entered with Malfoy hovering behind her. "Hello everyone," she said brightly, instantly deciding to ignore Malfoy and enjoy the position she had been so looking forward to. She quickly scanned the compartment, searching for a familiar face and settling on Neville Longbottom. "I'm Hermione Granger, the new Head Girl. I see that Professor McGonagall instated some new prefects this year, so why don't we go around and say our name and House?" She sat down next to Neville, a welcoming smile on her face, while Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Like I said, my name if Hermione, I'm a Gryffindor. Malfoy?"

Malfoy crossed his arms, scowling. "I think they know us already, Granger."

Most of the students in the compartment shuffled uncomfortably at Malfoy's obvious anger, while one boy whom Hermione recognized as Malfoy's friend Blaise Zabini smirked.

"Well, for those of you who _don't_ know him, that is Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin, and this year's Head Boy. All right, so we'll just go in a circle. Neville, can you start?" she asked, turning to the boy beside her. He had grown a lot over the summer, now much taller than she was, and his muscles were much more filled out. Hermione was glad; she didn't want to worry about protecting him from the Slytherin prefects all year.

"Yea, sure," he replied, turning his wand over in his fingers absentmindedly. "I'm Neville Longbottom, a Gryffindor, seventh year." He looked pointedly at Malfoy. "I'm really glad to be a prefect this year, after the war and all. Our behavior will set the stage for many years to come."

Hermione smiled, thankful to have someone who supported her in the compartment. "Thank you Neville. And you?" she asked, turning to the wide-eyed girl with short brown hair sitting next to her whom she did not recognize.

"Sophie Jones, Hufflepuff. I'm a 5th year," she replied, smiling softly at Hermione's welcoming face.

The dark boy with sharp eyes next to her looked up as Hermione's attention turned to him, apparently having tuned out the conversation once the introductions had begun. "Blaise Zabini," he replied, a bored look on his face. "Slytherin, seventh year."

"I'm also a Slytherin," said the girl beside him. Her hair was pitch black with dark purple highlights throughout it, and she was rather chubby. "My name is Marissa Hale. I'm a sixth year."

"Luna Lovegood," said the blonde across the compartment from Marissa. She held an edition of The Quibbler upside down in her hands, and looked up at the group through a pair of sparkly pink eyeglasses. "I'm a Ravenclaw, and a seventh year."

"Matthew Derevill." The boy beside Luna was tall and muscular with dark brown hair. Hermione felt a blush creep on her cheeks as she realized that he was rather cute. Malfoy's impatient cough interrupted her thoughts, and she learned that the boy was also a seventh year, and a Ravenclaw.

"Dennis Chorley, a fifth year Hufflepuff," said a very short boy beside him. He had a large smile on his face despite the obvious tension added by the Slytherins surrounding him.

"Parvati Patil," added the girl beside him, the last in the room. "Also a seventh year, and a Gryffindor."

"Wow, we certainly have a lot of seventh years this time around! That's great!" Hermione said enthusiastically. Although she wasn't excited to have Blaise and Malfoy together, the others all seemed all right, and Neville and Luna would be nice companions.

"Are we done with these cute little introductions?" asked Malfoy with a sneer.

Hermione closed her eyes, willing herself to be patient. "Yes, Malfoy. Did you have anything you wanted to add?"

"Only that we're about five minutes from the school, and since the prefects have to direct everyone around, we probably should change into our robes."

Hermione glanced out the window, realizing that he was right. "Oh – all right then. Go ahead and get changed. Inside McGonagall will tell you your House password, and you will lead your students to their rooms. Try to be friendly! We can meet tomorrow before breakfast to discuss rounds." The prefects all nodded and filed out of the compartment, Neville giving Hermione's hand a supportive squeeze before leaving. She stood up to leave as well before she noticed Luna had remained in the compartment.

"Are you going to get changed Luna?" she asked, attempting to be polite.

Luna looked out the window thoughtfully. "It's funny that Professor McGonagall would put you and Malfoy as Head Boy and Girl, isn't it?"

Hermione faltered, having thought the same thing herself. "I suppose she believes it will encourage inter-House unity."

"Yes, but if you two fail, it will only lead to an even larger gap between the Houses. I wouldn't want that pressure on me," Luna replied, before folding her magazine and standing up. "I'll see you in the morning. Good night."

Hermione slumped back in the seat after Luna left, suddenly feeling like being Head Girl was going to be much harder than she had initially thought.

* * *

><p>"Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy," called out a familiar voice when Hermione entered Hogwarts, rounding up the last few children. She was soaking wet due to the rain outside, and all she could think about was the warm food that awaited her in the Great Hall. She sighed, knowing it would have to wait. "Could you come here please? Prefects, you too. In here."<p>

The ten students filed into as small corridor off the side of the main corridor, forming a semi-circle around their aging headmistress. Water dripped off each of them, and they already looked ragged from their experience with the children.

"You all better learn how to hide that desperation," Professor McGonagall said humorously, waving her wand and clearing the water off the students. "They'll never behave if you show them how tired you truly are." The prefects all let out a forced laugh.

"I assume you're wondering why I called you in here?" she asked. The students nodded. "Well, first off, I wanted to alert you of some new changes within Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore's wish was for a united school, and we will be working towards that goal this year. Beginning tomorrow morning, the House tables will be removed. There will be a large common room in the school for all students to access, along with several more bonding activities to encourage students to interact with other Houses. Also, there will be no House Cup this year."

At this, several of the students complained, muttering about Quidditch competitions. Blaise even let out a shout of indignation.

"Relax, relax. The Quidditch Cup will still be available. But I want the competition to start and end on the field; in the classrooms, we should be united. Understood?" The crowd nodded reluctantly. "All right. Prefects, please enter the Great Hall and show the first years where to wait. You two wait here," she added, seeing Hermione and Malfoy starting to leave as well.

"Yes Professor McGonagall?" asked Hermione, attempting to remain polite and hold back her yawns.

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, looking between the two teenagers. "Professor Dumbledore left special instructions before he died, especially regarding the Heads for this year," she began hesitantly. "He specifically requested that you two were selected. In addition, he has instructed that there be new rooming arrangements, to allow you both to better lead the school." She gave them directions to a location deep in the dungeons, close to the Slytherin rooms. "You are to report there immediately after dinner. Now you may join the feast." She gave a sympathetic look to Hermione, then swept out of the room, clearly uncomfortable with Professor Dumbledore's instructions.

Hermione stood in the dim room, her mouth open, dumb-struck. She turned to Malfoy to see what he thought of the situation, but he had already followed Professor McGonagall, leaving her alone in her confusion.

Once in the Great Hall, Hermione searched the Gryffindor table for Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Millions of lighted candles hovered above her, sheltering her from the dark mimicked sky and offering a warm glow to the room. She must have misunderstood Professor McGonagall; there was probably just a Head office she had never learned about before, and they were being given access to it for meetings. Either way she needed her friends to distract her. After finding them, she slipped onto a seat beside Ron, purposefully keeping her back to Malfoy. She greeted her friends with a weak smile.

"Attention, attention everyone," called out Professor McGonagall after the first years had been sorted into their respective Houses. The room fell silent, each student eager to hear what this new Headmistress would say.

Professor McGonagall looked out at the mass of black surrounding her, accentuated with four distinct colors. Before his death Professor Dumbledore had urged her to unite the Houses, to make Hogwarts one again. She knew that the job would be a difficult one: the war had killed so many and there were hundreds of hidden grudges remaining among the children. Even the seating arrangement, each child sitting at her own House table, led to the separation. Her eyes fell on Hermione and Malfoy, seated on opposite ends of the room, their backs to one another. Professor Dumbledore had specifically asked for them to be the first Head Boy and Girl after the war, but she didn't see how they could ever be anything but bitter enemies.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," she began, opening her arms in a large gesture. "I'm Professor McGonagall, your new Headmistress. I am happy to see so many new faces this year. Things have changed since many of you attended Hogwarts just a few short months ago, and I ask that you to keep an open mind to the changes." She paused, looking over the Slytherin table, which was only half full compared to the others. Many had been kept home by parents or asked not to return due to alliances with Voldemort. "I wish to remind you that anyone who is attending this school deserves to be here," she continued slowly, stressing each word. "The events of last year have been carefully considered, and I do not want any student acting on them. Professor Dumbledore wished for inter-House unity, and I plan on upholding his beliefs. You will get a fresh start this year. Make the most of it."

She sat back down, her lips pursed, as food appeared in front of the students. The silence was immediately replaced by loud clangs of dishes and urgent gossip being spread. "I wonder if even Granger and Malfoy's friendship can make a difference here," she wondered to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Another chapter! As always, review if you want more. It makes me happy! :)

I also got a very interesting idea for Malfoy the other night that I'm beyond excited to write, something that will make his relationship with Hermione make a lot more sense (because obviously their hatred cannot be overcome by just anything.) The more you review the quicker it'll be up!

Anything familiar is not mine.

**Chapter Five**

After the feast was over the prefects ushered the younger students toward their dormitories, but as Malfoy and Hermione were not technically in charge of any Houses they were able to remain in the Great Hall. Hermione hung back at the Gryffindor table watching her friends talk. They were all oblivious to the changes they would face this year. She felt a pang in her heart; it was great that the war was over, but she feared that without that constant worry and common goal they would drift apart. She would no longer be living with her House, and beginning tomorrow would not even be guaranteed to be eating with them.

"You've been very quiet this whole meal," commented Ginny, looking over at the older girl. Hermione was resting her chin in her hand, gazing into the remnants of the plum pudding in front of her. "Aren't you happy to be back?"

The boys paused in their conversation, noticing Hermione for the first time since they had begun eating. They were so used to her being immersed in a book during meals that they didn't even question her silence anymore. She lifted her head and forced a smile on her face.

"Of course I'm glad, Ginny. I suppose I'm just missing my parents a little," she said, quickly making up an excuse. She knew Harry and Ron would overreact to her news of who the Head Boy was, so she decided to simply let them figure it out on their own. Ginny nodded understandingly, knowing that if Hermione needed to talk she would later.

"Well, if these two barbarians are done eating, why don't we head up to the tower? I'm beat." Harry and Ron complained at her comment, but Ginny simply shot them a look clearly stating, 'What, you know it's true.'

Hermione hesitated, not sure how to explain that she would not be accompanying them to the tower. "You guys go ahead. I… I need to do a quick round before bed." The others nodded, accepting her excuse, and pushed their benches back to stand up.

"Night 'Mione," said Ron, smiling at her. She gave a half-smile back at him, then quickly looked down at her plate. The other night had been very awkward, and she hadn't really spoken to him much since. Harry and Ginny waved before taking one another's hands, walking out of the Great Hall together with Ron trailing behind them. Once they left, Hermione laid her head on her arm, wishing she could just fall asleep at the table before anything changed.

"You coming or not, Granger?" Hermione sighed at the sound of Malfoy behind her. He was certainly a Seeker; she hadn't even heard him come up behind her. She kept her head down, hoping he would just go away. "Fine. I was only trying to follow what your stupid letter said and be civil to you, but I suppose if you've gone and died it'll make the rest of the year much more pleasant for me."

Hermione sat up at this, swinging around to face him. They were the only two left in the Great Hall, since everyone else had already retired to their rooms. "Though I'm sure if would make you very happy, I do not plan on dying anytime soon. And in my letter I said we only had to be civil to one another when we're in _public_. I don't see anyone around here, do you?" She knew she'd regret her words in the morning, but at the moment she just wanted to let her frustrations out on the blonde ferret in front of her.

"Someone's always watching," he said, turning to look at the dark back corner where several ghosts were hovering. At his look they quickly disappeared into the wall behind them. "But if you'd prefer I ignore you, fine. It'll make my day much more enjoyable."

Hermione clenched her teeth together, already annoyed with Malfoy. She stood up quickly, her head lifted, forcing him to take a step back. She crossed her arms over her chest and began walking out of the Great Hall, calling back to Malfoy as she left. "You coming or not, ferret?" She knew he'd be seething at her comment, but he followed her out of the room without even muttering an insult, and they began the long journey to the dungeons.

The two remained silent on the walk down, the only sounds coming from their shoes against cement. Hermione began to shiver as they descended. The Gryffindor tower was always extremely warm, but down here there seemed to be a constant dank feeling, most likely due to the fact that they were actually beneath the lake. She rubbed her arms, trying to smooth away the goose bumps that had appeared.

"Dungeon a little chilly for you, Granger?" asked Malfoy, a smirk on his face. Hermione refused to answer, simply quickening her steps toward the end of the corridor when there was a small statue of a house-elf, which Professor McGonagall had said was the marker of their new dormitories. Hermione paused, staring down it, wondering how it would open the door to her new room – she had given up all hope on it being only an office during dinner. "Unite," she said, the password Professor McGonagall had told her. The statue did not move.

"We have to say it together," said Malfoy, standing behind her.

Hermione shook her head, examining the wall to see if there was any other place to speak the password. "And how would you know?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? The password is 'unite,' for goodness sakes. Dumbledore certainly didn't waste too many brain cells on _that _one. Inter-House unity or whatever."

Hermione stared down at the motionless marble statue, ignoring his jab at the Professor. "Fine," she agreed unwillingly. "We'll try it your way. On the count of three… one, two, three. _Unite_."

Just as she said the word, Malfoy did, and at the sound of their two voices mixing together the statue jumped to life, pressed his hand against the wall, and stepped back from the newly revealed door with a bow. Hermione pushed the door open before Malfoy could rub in his success, angry that he had figured out the trick before she had.

After stepping inside enough to allow Malfoy to follow, she paused to examine the room. It was gorgeous. The walls were a deep grey and the furniture a deep burgundy, with cream decorations throughout the room, giving it a very regal feel. It was lit only by a fire on the far wall and some torches scattered around the room. A dark mahogany table took up the majority of one corner where there was a small kitchenette, and overstuffed couches and armchairs surrounded the fire. On either side of the fireplace were doors, one with the name "Malfoy" above it and one with the name "Granger". Hermione smiled; the room would be a welcome relief at the end of a long day, even with the company she was forced to share.

"So these are really our dorms, then," she said. He simply nodded, shrugging off his sweater. Hermione hugged her pink one, both out of cold and nervousness. She hesitated, not sure how to take her new roommate's silence. "It's really lovely," she continued, desperate for some signal from him for how he was taking the news. "And much roomier than the other Common Rooms… I suppose it'll be nice to be able to study in here where we have peace and quiet, yes?"

"Of course that's what you're thinking of, studying. Now if you're done babbling, I'm going to bed," Malfoy said, turning to look at her with a bored expression on his face. "I don't particularly fancy the idea of late night girl chatter." He walked swiftly to the door marked with his name and slipped inside before Hermione had time to see much inside other than an overwhelming amount of hunter green.

Hermione sighed and walked over to the couch in front of the fire, craving its warmth. She fell backward and allowed herself to become immersed in the leather. A few moments later she was in a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning Hermione awoke to a banging on the main door. Sunlight was streaming in the windows, which were bewitched much like the Great Hall ceiling to give the dungeons some light. She stood up, stretching, uncomfortable from the night on the couch. She hadn't even realized she had fallen asleep there.<p>

Reaching the door, she opened it cautiously, her hand on her wand. She peeked out, and, when she saw it was just Malfoy, pushed the door open all the way and stepped back to let him in.

"About time, I've only been knocking for fifteen minutes," he grumbled, shoving his hair out of his eyes. His body was coated with a layer of sweat. "I forgot that stupid door needs both of us to open it. I was out for a run," he explained.

"Sorry, I was asleep," she replied, much more agreeable now that she had rested.

"Yea, I noticed." He walked into the kitchenette and grabbed a glass from one of the shelves, filling it with water from the tap. He had obviously explored while she was asleep. "Couldn't even make it into your room?"

"Yesterday just really wore me out," she replied. She fidgeted in place, unsure how to act after the night before. "Uh, well we better work out a schedule. We don't want to be stuck outside while the other is in class or anything."

"All right," he agreed, placing his glass on the wooden table. "Can I see your schedule?"

Hermione nodded and reached into her back jean pocket, pulling out the slightly rumpled schedule Professor McGonagall had given her the night before. She walked over to Malfoy and smoothed it out on the table. "Do you have yours?" she asked.

"It's in my room," he replied off-handedly. He scanned her schedule, nodding slightly to himself. "Most our classes are the same. Advanced Potions, Advanced Transfiguration… seems they might be separating us by level rather than House this year." He looked up at her. "The only classes we don't have together are Herbology and History of Magic. We both have free blocks while the other takes Herbology, and then I have Muggle Studies while you take History of Magic. And both our Herbology classes are right before lunch, so we can just both come back to the room when the bell rings so we can both drop off our books. Okay?"

"All right," Hermione agreed, but she felt that it wouldn't be so easy. She didn't want to be tied to her room, or have to ask Malfoy in front of all his friends to accompany her back when she had forgotten something. And all those classes with Malfoy…

Hermione paused in her thoughts, having just realized what he had said. "Wait – you're taking Muggle Studies?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes, still scanning the schedule. "Yes. All students who aren't Muggle-born are required to take it this year," he explained. He quickly changed the subject, not wanting to hear Hermione's view on his schedule. "I'll also have Quidditch practice and runs every morning," he added, sighing and looking back down at her schedule. He didn't seem any happier about their arrangement than she was.

"Well, I can make sure not to leave for breakfast until you come in from your run. And then we can just let each other know our plans for the day each morning. I doubt the enchantment on the statue will last forever, but for now we'll just have to humor Professor Dumbledore's memory."

"Yea. Good thing that idiot's not headmaster anymore. A trick like this just shows his worth," he said snidely. Hermione clenched her jaw but decided to let it slide to keep the peace they were managing. "I'm going to go shower. I'll meet you at the prefect meeting in half an hour." With that he downed the rest of his water and placed the empty glass in the sink, then walked back into his room.

Hermione sighed and looked down at her rumpled sweater and jeans; she hadn't even taken the time to change before falling asleep the night before. She walked over to her bedroom, assuming that her trunk had been left there.

If she had been impressed by the common room the night before, she was floored by the bedroom. In the center was a queen sized bed covered with a scarlet comforter accented with gold threads. A sheer canopy with flecks of gold floated down from the ceiling to surround the bed, and mahogany book shelves lined the walls where he books were already piled. There was also a small writing desk next to the large window. Off the right wall was a bathroom, white with endless golden faucets, and at the base of her bed was her trunk. She walked over and knelt by it, opening the lid and letting her hand slide across the soft leather. It had been a gift from her father her first year at Hogwarts.

She quickly selected an outfit from the trunk and laid it on her bed, then went into her bathroom to shower. Twenty minutes later she had managed to calm her hair and get rid of the purple circles beneath her eyes. After glancing in the mirror and deciding that Ginny would approve of her look for the day she left her room and walked down to the library, deciding not to wait for Malfoy whose shower was still on.

"Good morning," Hermione said to the librarian, who nodded curtly in return while placing books on shelves. Hermione found a large table and sat down, taking out her Charms book to read before the other prefects arrived. She had just finished the second chapter when Neville and Luna arrived.

"Hello Neville, Luna," she said pleasantly, closing her book and smiling at her friends. They each sat across from her, greeting her as well.

"Harry and Ron were wondering why you never came to the Common Room last night," Neville said, his voice low so as to not anger the librarian. "They waited until midnight. Were you out that late doing rounds?"

Hermione had assumed the two boys would simply go to bed since they thought she was doing rounds. "Actually, I have a new room now…" she began, deciding that she might as well tell people the truth. "Professor Dumbledore thought it would best promote inter-House unity if the two Heads lived together."

Neville looked alarmed. "What? You mean you have to _live_ with that scumbag, as well as work with him?" he exclaimed, eliciting a hush from the librarian.

"Seems like an improvement on her part to me, Longbottom," said Malfoy, who had just entered the library and came up behind the two prefects. Hermione cringed at his cruel tone.

"Yea, I'm sure anyone would rather live with a pompous jerk like you rather than Gryffindors," Neville replied harshly, getting up to stand chest to chest with the boy.

"Plenty of girls would die to be in Granger's place." Hermione shot him a glare at Malfoy's comment, but he simply shrugged and came to sit beside her. "So where are the other prefects? Not that I don't love sitting with a bunch of blood traitors or anything," he said.

"Here come some more," Hermione replied as Sophie and Dennis, the Hufflepuff prefects, entered the room. Neville reluctantly sat back down, his eyes trained on Malfoy. "Good morning!" Hermione called out. Malfoy made a face at her cheerfulness but she ignored him. Sophie sat in the chair furthest from Malfoy, giving him an uneasy look, and Dennis sat next to her.

"'Morning," Dennis said, grinning. "Last night was real fun. A bunch of first years kept asking me what things were. Some of them didn't even know that wizard pictures _moved_!" He laughed.

"You'd know all about that kind of ignorance now wouldn't you, Granger?" asked Malfoy. "Being, well, _you _know." Hermione glared at him.

"And what would that be?" she asked, challenging him to say the word in front of a table of Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs.

He smirked. "Well, Muggle-born, of course," he said, feigning innocence. He turned away from her and nodded his head at the boy who had just entered. "Hey Zabini."

"Hey Malfoy," he replied, taking a seat next to his fellow Slytherin. The female Slytherin prefect, Marissa, followed him in but chose to sit on the other side of Hermione, looking down into her lap. Hermione offered the girl a smile, but she just blushed and looked away.

"Good morning," said Matthew as he entered the room, sitting down next to Neville with a nod. He leaned back in the chair, completely comfortable despite Malfoy's glare. Hermione smiled at him.

"Good morning. Did you have any problems with the first years last night?" She felt Malfoy's gaze on her, but ignored him, focusing her attention on the boy in front of her. She was surprised she didn't recognize him from her previous years in the school, but figured she had been rather distracted. She didn't really know many students from other Houses.

"No, they were pretty good," he replied. "A few seemed scared that they would have to answer a clue each day to get into the dorms, but they'll soon get used to it."

"Hermione!" The librarian glared at the girl who was running into the library, clutching her bag to her chest with her long black hair swinging behind her. "I'm so sorry I'm late! I was waiting for you in the dorms but you weren't there… then Ginny Weasley woke up and told me that you had never come in last night. Where were you?"

Hermione blushed, glancing at Malfoy. He leaned back in his chair, relaxed, his eyes trained on Matthew. "She was in the Head dorms, of course," he said nonchalantly.

"All right, let's set up the schedule," Hermione quickly said, cutting off any shocked reactions. "First, who here has Quidditch?"

Hermione took out the potential schedule she had written up that morning. She purposefully placed Blaise and Malfoy together at all times, knowing that none of the other students would want to do rounds with them.

"This isn't really promoting the inter-House Unity Dumbledore wanted," said Malfoy, looking at the schedule over her shoulder. His voice mocked her. "Shouldn't we be mixing it up a bit?"

Hermione glared at him. "Fine then, _you_ write the schedule," she said, pushing the piece of parchment toward him. He smirked at her as he took it.

"Sure," he replied, quickly scratching out names with his quill. Hermione seethed, angry that he had showed her up during their first meeting. She decided to address the other prefects while he worked.

"I know some of you are new to this, so I wanted to go over what we do on our rounds. First, don't separate from your partner. The castle is usually pretty safe, but things can happen, and it's easy to get lost in. Second, make sure to get the name and House of each student you spot, and escort them back to their dorms. It's much easier to give them a detention the next morning. Finally, make sure to avoid Peeves, and always wear your badge or Mr. Filch will try to stop you." Hermione saw the Hufflepuffs listening to her eagerly, but the other, older students seemed slightly bored.

"All right, here it is," said Malfoy after a short silence. He turned the paper around and showed it to everyone. "Look good?"

Being on the Quidditch team, Malfoy knew most of the schedules, so Hermione assumed the schedule would work for everyone. Leaning over to look at it, she saw that she would be doing rounds every night, with either Malfoy, Blaise, Marissa, or Dennis. She groaned quietly; Malfoy had obviously worked his hardest to put her with Slytherins.

After all the prefects approved the list and Hermione used a spell to make copies for each of them, they filed out of the library to get breakfast, much to the librarian's delight. Hermione hung back, reorganizing her books in her bag.

"Looking for something, Granger?" asked Malfoy, the only one remaining with her.

She stood up, pushing her wooden chair in violently. "What was that about?" she whispered angrily.

"What?" Malfoy asked, whispering back mockingly. Hermione glared.

"_That_. Trying to show me up in front of all the other prefects. Giving me rounds each night, and never with a Gryffindor."

"I assumed as Heads we should be taking the most rounds. And I'm only trying to live up to Dumbledore's wish," he replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder and standing up. Hermione looked up at his taller figure, straightening her shoulders in an attempt to intimidate him.

"You're up to something," she accused. Malfoy simply smirked at her and left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Another chapter, thanks to you, my lovely reviewers.

I'm having such a hard time choosing where to end my chapters. This was 12 pages before I decided to cut it off where I did (page 8). I feel like it's rather slow, but hopefully still interesting enough for you guys! I am itching for a kiss between Hermione and Draco, but that can't happen yet, unfortunately.

Please review! It will make me write more, I promise!

Anything you recognize is not mine.

**Chapter Six**

The entire room seemed to be buzzing when Hermione entered the Great Hall. Because she had been in the library so long she was one of the last to arrive and everyone had already discovered the new seating arrangement. About one hundred circular tables filled the room where the four, long ones had been, each with six chairs surrounding them. Students hovered around the edge of the room, unsure where to sit.

"Hermione!" Ginny called out, catching sight of her friend. Hermione looked up and saw Ron, Harry, Neville, and Ginny sitting at one of the few occupied tables. She smiled and walked over to join them, hoping that the other students would follow their example and take seats.

"Do you know what's with the new seating?" asked Ginny once Hermione had sat down. Around them students began to hesitantly sit down, separating themselves by House as always.

"It's one of the changes to encourage inter-House unity that we're promoting this year," replied Hermione, grabbing some food. She had barely eaten the night before, having been stressed over the upcoming changes and spending the night in the same dorm as Malfoy, and she was ravenous.

"You never came in last night," Ron accused as she began to eat. "Harry and I waited up all night."

"You did not, you went to bed before I did," said Ginny, placing some toast on her plate. "But yea, where were you?"

Hermione hesitated, not wanting Ron to make a scene at the news. "I was in the new Head dorms," she replied, sipping from her goblet to avoid having to explain further.

"Head dorms? Since when do they have those?" Harry asked. "And who's the Head Boy?"

"It's new this year," she replied, purposefully ignoring the second question. "Can I see your schedules?"

The other three took out their schedules and placed them on the table. Hermione looked at them, seeking a distraction. Malfoy had been right; the classes were separated by level, not House, this year. She had Herbology with Neville and Defense Against the Dark Arts with Harry and Ron. She had no classes with Ginny, since she was not yet taking NEWT classes, but Hermione noted that the girl had opted to take challenging classes. She also was scheduled for Muggle Studies, something Hermione was sure her father was pleased about, and she was taking it at the same time as Malfoy.

"You guys don't know?" asked Neville while Hermione scanned the schedules. "_Malfoy _made Head Boy."

Ron spit out the pumpkin juice he had been drinking, causing several students who had taken seats in tables nearby to look over at the group. He coughed, clearing his throat, before speaking. "_Malfoy_ is Head Boy? _How_?"

Hermione sighed; this was exactly the reaction she had been trying to avoid. "Professor Dumbledore left instructions for us to be the Heads this year before he died," she explained. She refused to look up from the schedules, knowing that Ron would be glaring at her.

"Why didn't you tell us last night? You just went and slept in the same room as… _him_. He could've hexed you!"

"But he didn't. Besides, it's set up like the other dorms, it's not like we're in the same room. I was fine," she replied. She decided to leave out the fact that she had fallen asleep in the Common Room rather than her bedroom the night before, and that a blanket had mysteriously appeared over her during her sleep – something she had thought was the doing of a House Elf until she saw the stitching of a green serpent in the corner.

"Are you comfortable with that? Sharing a dorm with just him?" asked Ginny, genuinely concerned. Hermione sighed.

"Not really, but it's what Professor Dumbledore wanted. And it makes sense. We should be leading the way toward a united school, and it'll be easier if we're forced to speak to one another every once in a while."

"So why did you want to see their schedules?" asked Ginny, attempting to change the subject to calm her brother, whose face was quickly turning red. Neville and Harry had returned to eating their breakfast, preferring to leave Ron to his anger. "You're all seventh year Gryffindors; you'll have all of the same classes, except for electives, right? And the electives are the same as last year."

"Actually, no. I guess it's another one of the changes Professor Dumbledore wanted… the classes are going to be separated by level this year, not by House. I'm in Herbology with Neville, and Defense Against the Dark Arts with you two," she said, gesturing toward Harry and Ron, who had grabbed their schedules to see if this was true. "That's it."

Ginny nodded calmly. "That makes sense. I actually had wondered why they hadn't done that earlier. So I suppose you'll be in a lot of classes with Malfoy, then?"

"What?" asked Ron, his mouth full of sausage. "Why would she be with that prat?"

"Because, like it or not, he is rather intelligent. He's one of the top in our class, and we're actually in almost all the same classes," she replied.

"This seems pretty intense. Can't you ask McGonagall to lighten up on the bonding?" asked Harry, looking up from his schedule. He and Ron had determined that they still were in all the same classes.

"I think it's a good thing," said Neville, defending Hermione. "We need to start getting to know other students. I mean, look at this table; all of us are Gryffindors, and other tables are separated by House as well. Hermione and I are supposed to be role models for the younger students, and you guys are too because of the war. We need to embrace the changes."

Ginny nodded. "I agree. How about at lunch we split up and sit with students from different Houses?"

Hermione knew that she should embrace the idea, but she was already getting so little time with her friends that she didn't really want to give up the little she had. "Maybe we should just aim to sit somewhere new at dinner each day," she suggested. "I'd like to still be able to have a few meals with you guys since I'll see you so rarely."

The others agreed, and they finished their meal rather quietly, with Ron and Harry discussing the upcoming Quidditch try-outs. Ginny whispered something in Harry's ear then stood up to take the empty seat next to Hermione. Neville was on her other side, studying his Herbology book, so the two had relative privacy.

"So how are you, really?" asked Ginny, her voice low. "Did Malfoy do anything last night?"

Hermione sighed, not sure how to explain the strange dynamic that had come out between the two Heads. "I'm not sure. He's been oddly civil to me lately, though there's definitely some malice beneath it all. I don't really know what to make of it. We should become friends; I'm sure that's what Professor Dumbledore would have wanted. But I just don't see that happening."

"Well, it sounds like you two will be spending a lot of time together. Maybe he'll grow on you," Ginny suggested half-heartedly. "And maybe the one-on-one time in the dorms will help, since neither of you will have to put on a show for anybody."

"I guess so. I'm going to miss spending so much time with you guys though. Especially you; it's been nice having a girl friend to talk to."

"Well of course I'm going to visit!" Ginny replied, grinning. "Where is the dorm? Maybe I can come tonight and we can talk about our first day.

Hermione grinned back, excited at the thought of not being alone with Malfoy that night. "That'd be great! It's in the dungeons, marked by a House Elf statue." Hermione quickly gave the girl directions, and they decided that she would stop by that evening in the free block before dinner to do homework and talk. Hermione was glad; she wouldn't have any classes with Harry or Ron that day, and she had long rounds with Malfoy that night. It would be a relief to spend some time with a friend.

"All right, we better get off to class. Bye boys," Ginny called, waving at the three boys who were still finishing their breakfasts. The girls stood up and headed out of the Hall. "I have Charms, what do you have?"

"Arithmancy," replied Hermione, sighing. Neither Harry nor Ron would be in the class with her, but Malfoy would be. In some ways she was glad, because having all advanced students would allow the teacher to give them more challenging work, but she was still wanted the security of her best friends.

"Is Malfoy in the class with you?"

"Yes. He's in all of my classes except for Herbology and History of Magic, so I'm free of him every morning except Mondays. Thank goodness; I don't know how long I can stand being around him. Sharing a dorm is enough." Ginny laughed at this, shaking her head at her friend. She did not envy Hermione of her job as Head Girl.

Their voices mingled with the students around them as they walked down the main hallway to their classes, which were directly across from one another. Hermione smiled at the sight of the first years walking around, drowning in their black cloaks with their noses in their schedules. Hogwarts was a large school, with plenty of tricks – it took her quite some time to learn her way around, even with studying the moving map that was contained in Hogwarts, A History. A few students timidly asked her for directions on her way to class, and she happily showed them the way, with Ginny standing beside her waiting to continue their conversation.

"I'm not surprised Professor Dumbledore chose you as Head Girl. You're so good at helping the younger students," Ginny commented after Hermione helped one particularly scrawny boy out of the trick stair that had caught his leg.

"I really enjoy helping them, especially when I remember how scary Hogwarts seemed when I first started. I just don't know how Malfoy will handle the job – I can't really imagine first years asking him for help." She laughed at the thought of Malfoy cowering over the scared child who had asked her for the nearest bathroom. While she had gently pointed him towards it and warned him to keep an eye out for Peeves, who tended to hover around that hallway in the mornings, Malfoy would probably have sent him to some forbidden closet.

"I definitely wouldn't have approached him my first year!" Ginny said laughing. They paused as they reached their classes. "All right, so I'll see you before dinner. Harry wants to go down to the fields at lunch to organize the Gryffindor robes and spare brooms, so I'm just going to grab something to bring with me."

"All right. I'll see you then!" Hermione replied, then turned to walk into the first class of the year.

She quickly took a seat at the front of the room, smiling at Professor Vector who was standing behind her desk sorting papers. She was just pulling out her Arithmancy book, one she hadn't had time to begin yet and was planning on skimming before class began, when she heard the sound of Malfoy's voice in the back of the room. She turned around to see him entering the room with Theodore Nott. Hermione forced a smile onto her lips then turned back to her book. It was going to be a long class.

* * *

><p>"So how were your classes with the ferret?" asked Ron at lunch later that day. Luna, Neville, and the two Patil twins were also sitting with them, filling all the seats since Harry and Ginny had already grabbed sandwiches to bring out to the Quidditch fields.<p>

"Oh, you have classes with him too?" asked Parvati, giving Hermione a pitying look. "You must never be able to get away from him!"

"It wasn't too bad," Hermione said honestly. "I had Arithmancy and Transfiguration. The classes were really intense; I didn't really have time to notice many of the other students."

"How large were your classes? We had twice as many as last year in the general Transfiguration class this morning," added Neville. Although he excelled at Herbology, he took the regular level for his other classes, ones that aimed to simply help you pass the NEWT rather than receive an O.

"Only about ten students in each," replied Hermione. She had actually rather liked the change; the smaller class size had allowed the teachers to cover more material. "Fay Dunbar is the only other Gryffindor so far though. There haven't been any Hufflepuffs in my classes yet; most are from Ravenclaw."

"Well it is the House of wit," said Padma, grinning at the others. "I'm surprised you aren't in it, Hermione, though I suppose your performance in the war showed that you deserve your spot in Gryffindor as well."

Hermione laughed. "The Sorting Hat debated putting me in Ravenclaw, but decided against it. I'm glad; otherwise I would never have met Harry and Ron."

"And the war never would have ended – those two would never have gotten anything done without you around to nag them all the time," said Neville, grinning at her. She laughed.

"I suppose not. They are rather lazy; I shudder just thinking about how long Harry put off figuring out the tasks in the Triwizard Tournament fourth year!"

The table all laughed, with Ron reluctantly admitting the truth in her statement, and continued discussing the various tasks that Harry had had to do as a Hogwarts Champion in the Tournament and the upcoming Quidditch games.

* * *

><p>After an extremely tiring class of double Potions, in which Hermione was surrounded by almost all Slytherins as Professor Snape had coincidentally passed mainly students from his own House, Hermione returned to her dorms. She felt the questioning glance of the other Slytherins, who were also returning to their dorms, as she walked down to the dungeons and wished that she could simply return to the tower with her friends.<p>

"What's _she_ doing down here?" Hermione ignored the whispers, walking as quickly as she could both to get away from the Slytherins and to warm her body. The dungeons weren't too bad when she was in Potions with her cauldron, but the hallways were unbearable.

"She's in the Head dorms down here, remember?" replied Malfoy. Hermione was surprised to hear that rather than mocking her, there was almost a warning in his voice, telling the other Slytherins to not continue the subject. After a few more minutes they split ways, Hermione and Malfoy going to the right while the others continued further down to the Slytherin dorms.

"Where were you today?" asked Malfoy after they entered their dorm and dropped their bags on the floor. He turned around to face her. "I was waiting by the statue for twenty minutes and you never showed."

"When?" asked Hermione, confused. She thought the first time she was supposed to meet him was after the last class.

"Before lunch," he replied. "And I didn't want to go to the Great Hall and let everyone know that we have to enter these stupid rooms together, so I ended up having to share Zabini's book in Potions."

"Oh! I'm really sorry Malfoy, I forgot that I was supposed to come back then too. Since I only had three classes today I just brought them all with me in the morning."

"Well don't forget tomorrow; McGonagall will kill me if I show up without a book. I've got rounds now; I'll meet you back here after dinner for long rounds." Hermione nodded and watched as he left the room, leaving his backpack on the ground by the entrance. She sighed, falling back on the couch. He hadn't been rude, but she could still feel the tension and anger from the last six years beneath his words.

Ten minutes later Hermione heard a knock at the door and jumped up, eager to see her friend. She quickly opened the door and let Ginny in, welcoming her with a hug.

"Wow, I should visit more often! I don't even get greeted this enthusiastically when I go to see Harry!" Ginny said, laughing at her friend's exuberance. She looked around, her eyes wide. "Wow! This place is really great. I can't believe you guys have a kitchen and everything!"

"Yea, it's pretty amazing," agreed Hermione. She had often had trouble in the Gryffindor Common Room finding time to stop at the Great Hall for food in the mornings, so being able to simply grab a granola bar would be a life-saver.

"Is it fully stocked?" asked Ginny, walking over to the kitchenette and peering around curiously. "Or do the House Elves just give you what you need?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't really had time to look around here yet; I've barely been in the room," she replied. "I guess this is the only time I'll really have to do so today, so we could look now?"

"Definitely!" replied Ginny, immediately opening cupboards. The shelves were fully stocked, with a mixture of Muggle food and Wizarding food. Microwave popcorn, chocolate frogs, and pastries filled the cabinets, offering tempting late-night snacks for the two Heads. Hermione made a mental note of the coffee, something not served at the Great Hall, knowing that she would need it after nights with late rounds.

"This is amazing," said Ginny when she had finished exploring the room. "I wonder if the previous Heads were treated this well!"

Hermione laughed. "Well, I know they had some privileges, but the dorms are new," she said. "I'm kind of worried that they're just making up for all the work they're going to have us do… with all the new inter-House unity activities, I have a feeling I won't have much free time, and I'll need to be able to get away if I have any hope of passing my NEWTs."

"You'll do great. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think – what's your schedule? When do you do rounds?"

Hermione sighed; she had spent a portion of lunch memorizing her schedule so she wouldn't forget any books and have to get Malfoy to come back to the dorms with her, and it was as bad as she thought. "On Mondays I have Arithmancy and Transfiguration in the morning, double Potions in the afternoon, then long rounds with Malfoy during free block from seven to ten, _and_ late rounds from eleven to midnight with Blaise. Tuesdays I have double Herbology in the morning, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration in the afternoon, and early rounds from ten to eleven with the Slytherin prefect Marissa."

"Oh, I've seen Marissa around before. The chubby girl with the black hair?" Hermione nodded. "She's really insecure, but she seems nicer than most Slytherins."

"Well that's a relief," Hermione replied. "I'm paired with all of the Slytherins, I'm glad at least one is decent. Wednesdays I have a free morning, Potions and Transfiguration in the afternoon, and rounds with Malfoy during the free block before dinner. Thursdays I have History of Magic and Herbology in the morning, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms in the afternoon, and early rounds with Dennis, the Hufflepuff prefect. Do you know Dennis?"

"No, the only Dennis I know is Creevey, from Gryffindor," Ginny said apologetically.

"He's only a fifth year, so I haven't seen him around either. Fridays I have History of Magic and a free block in the morning, Arithmancy and Charms in the afternoon, and late rounds with Malfoy again from eleven to midnight. So basically, the only times I can escape him is during three of my rounds and in the mornings. I'm going to go insane!"

"That doesn't seem fair that you're doing so many rounds – you have at least one every day! Is Malfoy doing this much?"

"Malfoy actually has one more round than I do. All the prefects have three rounds a week, I have six, and he has seven. I guess it makes sense, since we are the Heads. Plus we don't really have to watch any Common Rooms like the House prefects do. But still… I don't think I'll be getting very much sleep this year."

"If you could handle school while fighting Voldemort, I'm sure you can handle being Head Girl," replied Ginny reasonably.

"I guess so. Look at me, I'm worried already and term has barely started! Tell me about your classes."

"It's pretty similar, I'm just a grade behind you in them," said Ginny. "Transfiguration, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Charms, and then Muggle Studies since I'm from a wizard family."

"Oh, right, I forgot to mention: you're in Muggle Studies with Malfoy." Hermione laughed at her friend's look of disgust. "Hey, don't complain! I have _five_ classes with the ferret!"

"Yes, but not one in which he learns about those he hates most! He'll just learn more things to insult Muggles about."

"I'm not sure. I think much of his cruelty is based off ignorance; maybe once he sees that Muggles are people too he'll lose some of his prejudice."

"I suppose so," Ginny conceded.

"Well, we should start our homework. Professor McGonagall already assigned an essay, and I have some Arithmancy problems as well as a chapter to read for Potions."

Ginny sighed. "I thought fifth year was tough because of OWLs, but I'm already drowning in work! These teachers are bonkers."

Hermione laughed, agreeing with her friend. She pulled out her quill and a piece of parchment and began to write, hoping to finish the essay and possibly begin the Arithmancy problems before dinner.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you all to my lovely reviewers! Please continue reviewing. It makes me beyond excited to see a new one, and I'm not getting many despite the multiple story alerts and favorites.

Don't worry if Malfoy seems a little kind in this chapter. They're tired and alone, so he doesn't have his typical mask on. But Defense Against the Dark Arts is in the next chapter, with the trio and Slytherins... he certainly won't be civil then!

I hope you're all staying safe from Hurricane Irene! We lost power for about an hour here, but apparently the worst is not yet over.

Anything you recognize is not mine.

**Chapter Seven**

"Remember, none of us can sit together tonight," said Ginny as she and Hermione entered the Great Hall an hour later. They had managed to get a lot of their work done, but had lost track of time and were now late for dinner.

"I remember," said Hermione, groaning. She scanned the tables for the boys. She laughed. "Guess the boys weren't too thrilled about the plan – they're over there, trying to hide from us." She pointed to a table across the room where the boys sat alone, their backs to the door. Ginny frowned.

"I'll go separate them. You find a table; I'll see you in the morning!" With that she hurried off, ready to yell at the boys.

Hermione clutched her bag to her side, feeling the comforting weight of books pulling down on her shoulder. She had grabbed it as she and Ginny rushed out of the room, figuring she would need something to distract her if she ended up sitting at a table of strangers.

Looking around, she was suddenly hit by the notion that she did not know anyone in the school. With over six hundred students – a hundred seventy-five per House with half that in Slytherin – she had thought finding someone knew would be somewhat easy. She had taken classes with these students for six full years, yet she only knew a handful.

Her eyes fell on Matthew, the Ravenclaw prefect, and she immediately hurried to him. He sat at a table with one girl and two other boys, all of whom were Ravenclaw. Hermione slowed as she approached him and gave a shy smile when he looked up and saw her.

"Hermione! Hello," he said, grinning at her. "Guys, this is the Head Girl, Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is Andrew, Mike, and Melanie." He gestured to each person, and Hermione nodded at them in turn.

"Hello," she replied. Her eyes darted to the empty seat beside him. "Mind if I sit?"

"Go ahead!" Matthew replied, smiling warmly. He took his bag off the seat and allowed her to sit down next to him. "Why aren't you sitting with Harry and Ron?"

Hermione blushed, embarrassed that he knew her friends and she hadn't even known him until meeting on the train. "We decided to sit with different people at dinners. Trying to promote the inter-House unity theme…" she said, trailing off awkwardly. Matthew grinned at her.

"That's a great idea. I feel like I don't know anyone in this school except for seventh year Ravenclaws." The others nodded in agreement.

"That's what we were saying at breakfast. I mean, we're in the same grade, yet I didn't know you until yesterday." Hermione quickly fell into an easy conversation with him, talking about the changes in the school and their classes. She tried to talk to his friends, but they seemed content to simply sit quietly and eat.

It was over an hour later when Hermione realized that most of the students had returned to their dorms. "What time is it?" she asked frantically, interrupting Matthew as he was commenting about his favorite type of owl.

He paused at her interruption, then looked at his watch. "Uh, seven twenty. Why?"

"Oh no! I'm late for rounds… Malfoy and I have the long rounds tonight. I've got to go." She grabbed her bag and stood up, nodding a goodbye to the other Ravenclaws.

"Malfoy certainly put you two together for a lot of the rounds," Matthew commented, standing and following her out of the Great Hall. Hermione glanced over her shoulder at him, sighing. She really was in a hurry and didn't want to deal with this,

"We're the Heads, we need to take on more rounds than the prefects. It makes sense that our extra rounds are together," she said. She turned around to face him. "Look, I'm already late. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Matthew relented. "All right. Have fun, don't let him hex you." He winked at her, then left to go back to his friends, leaving Hermione alone in the hall.

"Seems he has a thing for you, Granger," said Malfoy. Hermione jumped, looking around and finding the source of the voice as he stepped forward. His black cloak had allowed him to blend into the shadowy walls with ease.

"What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting at the dorms," Hermione replied, ignoring his comment.

"So did I, but after I waited twenty minutes I figured I'd better come see if Derevill's boring chatter had killed you."

"It was not boring chatter; he's much more interesting than _you_!" Hermione argued.

"Oh yea? So what was this _engrossing_ conversation that kept you?" Malfoy asked, sneering at her.

Hermione paused. She actually couldn't remember anything that they had talked about during the meal. "That's not important," she replied. "Besides, it's not like you've ever had anything interesting to say."

"You've just never listened to me do anything but make fun of your misfit friends."

"And whose fault is that?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "We're already late. We need to hurry up and start the rounds."

Hermione glared at him. "Fine. I'll take the East wing, you take the West." She had turned to storm away when he called out to her.

"Didn't you say this morning to never split up on rounds?"

"That was before I realized how many rounds I would be paired with you on. I'm sure we're both perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves. I was a major part in the war, and… well, I suppose you were too?" Hermione said, taunting him.

"We're supposed to be setting an example for the other prefects." His face remained passive, not reacting to her comment. "We'll go together. Come on." He turned and began walking down the hall, not looking over his shoulder to see if Hermione was following. She sighed and looked behind her, wishing she could leave but knowing he was right.

"Fine," she muttered, and started after him.

* * *

><p>An hour into the rounds Hermione began regretting that she hadn't convinced Malfoy to stop at their dorms before beginning. She hadn't emptied her bag since that morning, so she was carrying around the three textbooks for her classes that day, as well as a thick book to read for pleasure, and lugging it around the school was becoming painful. She shifted it onto her other shoulder, trying to relieve the pain.<p>

"Oh, just give me it," said Malfoy, putting his hand out. Hermione looked at him, confused. "The bag," he explained. "You look like you're going to fall over, and we're only a third into our shift."

"I'm fine," replied Hermione, gripping the bag to her and lifting her chin, trying to ignore the pain from it digging into her shoulder. The school had rules against using magic for common things, such as making her books smaller to be easier to carry, and as Head Girl she couldn't go against the rules. "Come on, we haven't gone down this hall yet." She turned to begin down the next hall, but the sudden movement caused her bag to fall to the ground and she gripped her shoulder from the sharp jab of pain.

"You really need to learn to listen to me, Granger," said Malfoy, picking up the bag and slinging it over his shoulder with ease. He turned down the hall Hermione had mentioned and refused to acknowledge the fuming Hermione, who was now demanding he give her bag back.

As they walked torches on the walls came to life, lighting their way and casting long shadows along the walls. They had just reached the end of the hall when Hermione stopped short.

"What level are we on?" she asked quietly, looking at the door in front of her.

"The third, I think," he replied. He shifted her bag and turned around to face her, surprised to see her still facing the wooden panel door as he had turned around when he realized they had come to a dead end. "Why?"

Hermione hardly registered his question. They were on the third floor, in the corridor that, in their first year, had been off-limits to all students, for reasons which she learned first-hand. Although she knew that if she pushed the door open now she would find nothing behind it, her mind pulled her back seven years, when she was eleven years old. This door had led to her entrance into the war. It seemed impossible that it was now over, and that she would not be fighting Voldemort again that year.

"What is it?" Malfoy asked. She shook her head silently, and, without even knowing what she was doing, raised her wand and whispered, "alohomora," the same spell that she had said all those years ago.

The black latch jumped at her command, and she pushed the unlocked door open slowly. She held her breath as the door creaked, opening wider until it hung open completely in front of her. She stepped inside cautiously, her wand still at the ready.

"Lumos," muttered Malfoy, stepping into the room with her and offering a little light. He stood behind her. The only sound in the room was of their breathing, but for a moment Hermione was taken back, and she heard the sweet melody of the wooden flute, the heavy breathing of the three heads, and the long, extended cries of the trio as they fell through the trapdoor. "Granger?"

"Seven years ago a three-headed dog lived in this room," Hermione whispered, more to herself than to Malfoy. "He was the first in a long line of protection for the Sorcerer's Stone, a stone that could turn items to gold and grant immortality. A stone that Voldemort wanted." She heard Malfoy's sudden intake of breath at the name, but continued on. "He had taken over Professor Quirrell. He made him come down here, to get the stone, so that he could come back to life. But we… we found out about his plans. So we came here, and we got past the protections. And Harry stopped Voldemort for the second time."

Hermione stepped forward, out of the protection of light that Malfoy offered and into the middle of the room, kneeling beside the now nailed down trap door and running her fingers against the coarse wood. "But he wasn't defeated for good. He killed hundreds in the next five years, tore apart families…" Malfoy shifted uncomfortably behind her, and she was suddenly aware of his presence. She once again allowed herself to consider what he would have been like if Voldemort hadn't returned to power, if his father hadn't been a Death Eater. "He turned the world against one another," she finished, turning to look at him.

Malfoy couldn't see her; she remained in the shadows of the room. But his wand lit his face, and she examined it, all the lines and scars that shouldn't be on a seventeen year old's face. Her voice fell even lower so that she could barely even hear herself speak the next words. "I hate that bloody war."

* * *

><p>At ten o'clock that night they arrived back at their dorms. They hadn't spoken a single word since they left the room on the third floor, and Hermione felt exhausted even though all she had done was walk around the castle. She was thankful when the stone House Elf jumped to life at their voices and revealed the doorway.<p>

Malfoy dropped her bag inside the entrance and turned around, not wanting to stay around this strange, silent Hermione. "I'm going to make sure Longbottom and Chorley are starting their rounds now. I'll be back in a bit." Hermione nodded blankly and walked over to the couch. Malfoy hesitated as he saw her drop her head into her hands, but when she still said nothing, he walked out and into the now empty halls. Their rounds had been simply to ensure no one was misbehaving, but the rounds from ten to midnight where after curfew, so the only ones that were allowed in the halls were prefects and professors.

Malfoy shoved his hand through his hair, sighing. He had been civil to Hermione the past few days, hoping to mess with her mind, but instead he was just confusing himself. It was easy to mock her when there was a crowd and Crabbe and Goyle by his side. But neither of his friends had been invited to return to Hogwarts that year due to their family's involvement in the war, and with the new changes within Hogwarts and being the Heads, they were often alone together. He wasn't used to seeing a vulnerable side to the girl. Normally she took care to always have her armor on around him.

His mind flashed back to the first night. He had gone to bed right away, but after an hour of tossing and turning in his sheets he decided to get a glass of water. He opened his door quietly and walked across the living area to the kitchen, his bare feet padding against the carpet softly. He didn't notice her until he was sipping his water and he heard a small moan come from the couch. Placing his glass in the sink, he walked over to see Hermione lying on the couch, still in her jeans and sweater. She shifted in her sleep, burying her head in a corner of the couch. He froze, realizing that she was having a nightmare. Without realizing what he was doing, he walked into his room and came back out carrying a soft blanket that his mom has sewn for him when he was young and continued to pack for him every year despite his protests. He tossed it over Hermione's sleeping body, then returned to bed and fell asleep without much effort.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of the thought. He was just tired, having gotten precious little sleep in the last few weeks. He sighed, knowing that he would not be able to sleep deeply until after he let Hermione back in at midnight from her rounds with Blaise.

A whimpering from down the hall pulled Malfoy out of his thoughts, and he froze. He had unconsciously walked deeper into the dungeons out of habit rather than going up to the towers where the prefects would no doubt be starting their rounds. He was about to turn around to find the prefects when a familiar female hiccup stopped him. He paused, listening sharply.

"Clarise?" he whispered, forgetting about the rounds and walking deeper into the dungeons. The halls were dark, with only a few torches on the walls offering light, but there was no mistaking the platinum blonde hair of the small girl curled against the cement wall.

"Draco?" asked the girl, looking up from behind her veil of hair. Her eyes were a stormy gray, matching his own. "Is that you?"

In a few long strides Malfoy was by the girl's side, kneeling beside her, his large hand resting on her back. "Yes, it's me," he whispered. "Why are you out of bed?"

Clarise looked down, her hair shielding her face once more. "We were all talking before curfew, some of the other first years and me," she said slowly. "And they all started talking about… their parents. And Draco, they're all… they're all meeting again…" She stopped and buried her face in Malfoy's silky robes, soaking them with her tears.

"Shh, Reese. It's okay." He smoothed her hair softly, holding her small head against his chest, knowing not to question her further about her conversation until she had gotten some sleep. She gasped for breath between her cries and fisted her hands against his chest. "Want to stay with me tonight?" he asked, pulling away slightly to look her in the face. Tears stained her pale skin and she sniffed loudly before nodding.

"Okay," she said, letting a sad smile flicker across her face. Malfoy stood up and reached his hand out to the younger girl, who grasped it like a lifeline as they walked back to his dorm.

Malfoy knocked on the wall where the door should be, while Clarise clung to his side timidly, eying the House Else statue that came up to her chest. Malfoy's fingers slid through her smooth hair as he waited for Hermione to open the door.

"Are Neville and Dennis-" she began, but stopped suddenly when she saw the small girl hovering behind Malfoy. "Who's this?"

"Clarise," he replied simply, gently pulling the girl into the dorm. "I need to put her to bed." Hermione stood dumb-founded in the living room, staring after the two as Malfoy led Clarise into his bedroom and lifted the now laughing girl into his bed. He tucked the green sheets under her chin and gently pushed her blonde hair out of her eyes, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. After he had pulled the door closed behind him quietly and reentered the living room Hermione pounced on him.

"What was that about?" she hissed, glancing back at the door that still remained open a crack. Her armor was back up, and she let her confusion come out as an accusation.

Malfoy glared at her, all the tenderness he had shown the small girl now gone. "I was taking care of my little sister, Granger. Got a problem with that?" He rolled his eyes at her shocked expression. "Now if you don't mind, I need to get some work done." He grabbed his bag and dropped it on the kitchen table, taking out his Transfiguration book to begin the essay Hermione had finished while he was on rounds earlier that day.

Hermione eyed the table, where her books and parchment lay haphazardly. She couldn't exactly pick up her books to finish her work in her room without being extremely obvious that she was avoiding Malfoy, so she sat at the seat furthest from Malfoy and pulled out her Potions book to begin reading the assigned chapter, forcing her eyes to stay on the page and not look at the room where the girl Malfoy was so tender with lay.


	8. Chapter 8

I'm so sorry for the wait everyone! School has recently started again, and between work, college preparations, and homework, I'm drowning. But I just finished a huge essay and took the SATs, so I have more time to write again. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think. It's starting to show just why Malfoy is changing his behavior.

Anything you recognize is not mine.

**Chapter Eight**

The hours were passing much too slowly for Hermione's taste. She was sitting in Defense Against the Dark Arts, in the back of the room at Harry and Ron's request, trying to take notes on what Professor Slughorn said, but her eyes kept drifting to the front corner of the room where Malfoy sat laughing with Blaise. She didn't understand how he could be so nonchalant, as if the previous night hadn't even occurred.

"Are you all right, 'Mione? You seem distracted," said Ron. The parchment in front of him remained blank as always.

She sighed. "If you're so worried about getting the notes Ron, why don't you just take them for yourself?"

Ron looked taken-aback. "That's not why I was asking…" he began, confused.

"It's the only reason you and Harry have ever been concerned for my well-being," Hermione snapped back at him, her voice still low as to not draw any attention. She knew it wasn't true, but she was tired, and Ron had been bothering her all day.

"Hey, that's not true! We care about you," he protested, a little too loudly. Professor Slughorn paused in his lecture, looking back at the trio.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

"Yes, Professor," replied Hermione quickly, bending her head to take notes. She began recorded the lecture word for word, not aware enough to fully digest the words and take notes, until the boys' gazes turned away from her. She waited a moment longer, then risked a glance toward the front corner of the room. Malfoy had turned his head raised an eyebrow at her inquisitively, but she quickly looked away, caught.

"Hermione, are you sure you're okay?" asked Harry quietly from the other side of Ron. "You do seem a little off today. Did Malfoy do something?"

"I'm fine, I'm just tired. I had late rounds last night," she replied, frustrated. For her two best friends, they could be really thick when it came to anything relating to emotions. The only problems they seemed capable of understanding were about Quidditch or Voldemort.

The rest of class passed in a daze, and when Professor Slughorn dismissed the class Hermione looked down to realize that all she had written was one sentence from the lecture.

* * *

><p>"What was the homework assignment in Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Hermione asked later that night. They both had the long rounds off and she was sitting at the kitchen table with her books scattered around her while Malfoy lay sprawled out on the couch, reading his Transfiguration book.<p>

"Hermione Granger didn't write down the homework assignment? Help, the world's coming to an end!" mocked Malfoy, looking up from his book and smirking at her across the room. Hermione glared at him.

"Just tell me the assignment."

"A three foot essay on the use of unicorns in dark magic. But that won't help much if you didn't take any notes in class – what, were you having a fight with Weasel? He has seemed rather friendly with that Brown girl lately."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked.

"You're not upset that your boyfriend is seeing another girl behind your back?" asked Malfoy.

"He's not now nor ever has been my boyfriend," replied Hermione sharply.

Malfoy laughed. "Harsh, Granger. I'm not sure if he knows that though."

"Of course he does."

"Are you sure about that?" Didn't you ever wonder why no other guy even looks at you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What, because of my hair, or the fact that my nose is always stuck in a book, or that I'm a Mudblood? What's your insult of choice today, Malfoy?"

He smirked at her. "While I'm sure those are all contributing factors, the main reason is that Weasel stuck his claim on you years ago. He threatens to hex anybody who even thinks about thinking of you."

"You're lying."

"Oh, am I? And what about the Yule Ball – Victor Krum? I seem to remember that Weasel wasn't too happy about _that _choice of a date, now was he?"

Hermione shut her book. "How do you know that?"

Malfoy held his hands up in mock surrender. "Calm down Granger. You're forgetting that I'm friends with one of the biggest gossips in school. Pansy couldn't stop talking about the ball for months after. She eventually ran out of topics about Slytherins and had to talk about Gryffindors."

Hermione glared at him, but relented. Pansy was a pretty big gossip; it wasn't surprising that she had said something. But Ron had just been angry about Victor because he was trying to look out for her. She decided to let the subject drop, not wanting to discuss her friends for too long with Malfoy.

"Speaking of the Ball, we're supposed to be planning some school-wide events. I don't think any of the students even know about the school common room yet."

"Yea, I guess," replied Malfoy, standing up and stretching. "Want to go check out the room?"

Hermione glanced at her books. "Now?"

"We could both use a break from the books. And we can't very well plan events if we don't even know what the space looks like."

"Fine. Let's go." She closed her book and stood up, knowing she would regret putting off her essay later.

The school common room was on the sixth floor on the other side of the building, so the two had quite a while to walk. They were silent for the beginning of the walk, and Hermione used the time to mull over what she would say to Malfoy. She wanted to ask about Clarise; she had all day. The night before she had brought up the subject to Blaise, but he had shot her down cruelly, making a pure-blood remark about her family and avoiding the question.

"Malfoy?" she finally asked as they reached the sixth floor. When he didn't respond, she continued anyways. "I… I never knew you had a sister."

"Not many people do," Malfoy replied, not looking at her.

"I thought the Malfoy's were big on family and blood?"

"Most of the time."

Hermione turned to face him, reaching out and grabbing his arm to make him stop. She faltered when she felt his muscles tighten beneath her grip, but went on. "What, does your family not appreciate women as much as men or something?" she asked viciously.

Malfoy rolled his eyes, pulling his arm away from her. "Have you seen my aunt? Sex has nothing to do with it. Now let's go."

Hermione refused to move. "But why did she sleep in your room last night?"

"Because she did."

"She's a Slytherin, right? She has her own room."

Malfoy was about to reply again, in the same agitated tone, when they heard laughter coming from down the hall. Both turned to see Harry and Ron walking toward them. "Hermione!" Harry called out, catching sight of her.

Hermione paused, her eyes still trained on Malfoy. She wanted to hear more about Clarise, but she knew he wouldn't say anything in front of her friends.

The two boys came up to them. "Hey 'Mione," said Ron, smiling at her. She turned away from Malfoy and returned the smile.

"Hello Harry, Ron," she said. "What are you doing?"

"We stayed in the Great Hall for a while, we're just heading back to the dorms now," explained Harry. "Why are you on the sixth floor? I thought you lived in the dungeons." He was purposefully ignoring Malfoy, avoiding a fight, but Malfoy cut in.

"I don't think our activities are any of your business, Potter," he snapped.

"And ours is yours?" asked Ron. Hermione ran her hand through her hair, annoyed. She did not want to deal with another fight between them.

"Well considering the fact that I'm Head Boy, then yes, Weasel."

"No wonder why you got Head Boy – your dad must've paid off McGonagall."

Malfoy froze at this comment, and he narrowed his eyes. "At least my family has money. Still wearing hand-me-down robes, I see? No wonder Weaslette's with Potter. Even being with scarhead is better than being a Weasley."

Ron pulled out his wand at this comment, but Malfoy had beaten him, and they stood, wands drawn, glaring at each other when Hermione stepped between them, putting a hand on each of their chests'.

"Stop it!" she exclaimed, pushing them apart. "Stop it! You two are seventh years, and you're Head Boy!"

Harry drew his wand as well and pointed it at Malfoy. "You're right, Hermione; we are seventh years, and we've let this go on for too long," he said.

Hermione looked from one boy to another, lost as to what to do. If they began to duel, she would have no hope of stopping them, and they would probably all be expelled.

"All of you, cut it out _now_," she said, her voice suddenly serious. "50 points from each of your Houses. And if you don't leave now, I'll add a week of detention." Harry and Ron looked at her in shock, but Malfoy didn't drop his glare from Ron.

"Fine, give me detention," he said, and raised his wand to perform a spell. Hermione quickly disarmed him before any of the boys could shout out a spell, and mentally thanked the war for at least giving her quick reflexes.

"I said stop it! Harry, Ron, go to your dorms. Malfoy, let's go. _Now_." Still holding his wand, she pushed past him and walked away from the staircases, knowing that he wouldn't stay without a wand. She sighed when she heard footsteps, the boys having finally given up their staring contest.

Malfoy came up behind her, and she turned around sharply, her robes swinging around her legs.

"What were you doing?"

"The Weasel has got to learn to watch his tongue," Malfoy replied, narrowing his eyes at the memory.

"It's nothing he hasn't said before. You shouldn't have let it rile you so much! You're supposed to be setting an example."

"He shouldn't have insulted my father!" replied Malfoy, yelling now. His hands clenched into fists by his side.

"You do the same to him!" yelled Hermione.

"His father's not dead!"

Hermione froze at these words. Her muscles relaxed and she loosened her fists, looking at Malfoy's slightly red face. "Dead?" she asked.

Malfoy's eyes widened, having realized what he just said.

"We can see the common room another time," he said quietly, and turned around. He walked back to their dorms in silence, and once they entered, Malfoy walked straight into his room and slammed the door behind him without so much as a glance at Hermione.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for the wait guys! Hopefully it was worth it. Life's been pretty crazy with college stuff over here. (Still waiting for my SAT scores!)

I promise I'll write faster the more you review! I see a lot of you are favoriting this story and such, but very few comment. Anything would be appreciated!

We're getting some action going in this chapter, and some tension between our favorite enemies! It's taking so long for them to like each other... I'm sort of letting them direct this story, so blame them for the length, not me!

Anything you recognize is not mine. 

**Chapter Nine**

By the time ten o'clock rolled around, Hermione was thankful to have rounds. She had spent the last two hours sitting at the kitchen table, attempting to focus on her homework while being unable to think of anything but Malfoy. She was confused; for all he spoke of family and blood, he sure didn't share much about his. In the last twenty-four hours she had discovered that he had a younger sister whom he actually was sweet to, and that his father was dead. What else was he hiding?

Hermione saw Marissa standing by the dungeon common rooms, waiting for her, and waved. Although Malfoy probably didn't associate with the girl very often, she was still a Slytherin, and might know something about his family.

"Hello Marissa," she said, smiling at the chubby girl. "How are you?"

"I'm well, thank you," replied the girl shyly. She looked down at her feet, shuffling slightly. "How does this work? I've never done rounds before."

"Well, since it's already after curfew, our main job is to make sure no student is out of bed. We just have to patrol the hallways for an hour. Are you ready?"

Marissa smiled, nodding, and the two took off down the hallway to begin their rounds. Hermione urged the girl to talk, asking about her home life and classes, and once Marissa realized that Hermione didn't mind the chatter she began to speak willingly.

"It's just a little strange being part of Slytherin with my parents," Marissa said, after a long commentary on the different Houses in Hogwarts. Hermione perked up at the mention of Slytherin; she had tuned the girl out twenty minutes before.

"What do you mean?" she asked, attempting to appear nonchalant. Although it was typically Harry who had the crazy Slytherin theories, she was curious about the inner-workings of the House, and now that she had finally met someone willing to openly share such information she was not about to give up the opportunity.

"Well, you know, just that my parents aren't anti-Muggle," Marissa replied calmly. "They never supported Voldemort at all – in fact, they openly objected to his treatment of Muggles. You see, my Mum's brother was a Squib, so she became really interested in what life was like without magic, and came to the realization that Muggles were no worse than wizards. Of course, I got a lot of grief for _that _standpoint in Slytherin!" Marissa said, laughing. Hermione paused, unsure how to respond to such a blunt statement.

Marissa turned to the older girl, realizing that she had shocked her. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so used to Slytherin's talking openly about Voldemort and their parents' relations with him; I'm sure it must be really painful for you to hear of him."

Hermione shook her head, forcing a smile back on her face. "No, it's not that," she said. "Most Slytherin's just don't seem too willing to discuss such… personal matters, is all."

"Oh, I've never minded sharing my opinion. Most people don't think I belong in Slytherin – my parents certainly were _not _in it – but I'm really ambitious. Once I set my mind to something, I do it, no matter what. I guess that's why the Hat put me in here. And the other Slytherin's just have to be careful, because if they say something incriminating they can get kicked out of the school. But you see, I have nothing to worry about, since my parents were always on Dumbledore's side."

"But it must be easier this year, with those who openly supported Voldemort gone and the Death Eaters having left?"

Marissa paused, looking over her shoulder. "Well, I'm not so sure how true that is. A lot of people were just really good at hiding their true feelings from those who mattered. They would never speak ill of Dumbledore to his face, but in the dungeons, they would openly support Voldemort. And I've heard there are a few Death Eaters trying to get going again."

"What?" Hermione asked, shocked.

Marissa chewed her on her lower lip, clearly flustered. "I'm sorry – I tend to just say things as they come to my mind. I didn't mean that. I mean, there has been some talk, but it's probably just some kids trying to reestablish honor in their families by making things up. Without Voldemort there's no way the Death Eater's can resurface."

"Of course," replied Hermione, her mind elsewhere. She ran over a list of Slytherins in her head, trying to decide which ones might secretly be with Voldemort. Obviously some, like Malfoy, could have simply bribed their way into the school…

"Oh, I've upset you know, haven't I? I'm sorry. Harry Potter got rid of Voldemort. There's no danger left, everyone's in Azkaban."

Hermione smiled lightly at the girl. "You haven't upset me," she said. Marissa beamed at Hermione's apparent forgiveness, and began to go on about the different plants she had been exploring in Herbology, allowing Hermione's mind to wander. By the time it was eleven o'clock and they had returned to the dungeons, Marissa had exhausted herself from talking and Hermione had a potential list of Slytherin's who were with Voldemort in her mind.

"Good night!" Marissa said as they came to a stop in front of the Slytherin Common Room. "I had such a good time; I can't wait for our rounds next week! It's so great to have someone to talk to who shares my views." She dropped her voice to a whisper, again looking over her shoulder. "To be honest, I'm rather scared for rounds with Malfoy. He seems rather… intimidating. I've never even spoken to him."

Hermione laughed, for a moment forgetting her worries, and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Don't worry, Malfoy is no one to be concerned about. Just don't let him get to you. Good night!"

* * *

><p>Hermione sighed and tapped her foot, glancing at the clock on the mantelpiece yet again. It was five minutes after midnight, and she was waiting for Malfoy to return from his rounds. She fought back a yawn, willing herself to stay awake. She had been waiting an hour to talk to Malfoy about what Marissa had said, and was not going to let him walk off without discussing things again.<p>

She was about to get up and start searching for him herself when she heard a knock at the door. She jumped up and opened it before Malfoy had even lowered his arm.

"Wow, Granger, excited to see me?" Malfoy said, a snide grin on his face. He stepped in past her, pushing her slightly with his shoulder.

Hermione gritted her teeth, unwilling to let him jostle her. They had a lot to talk about and he wouldn't say anything if they were fighting.

"Sit down, Malfoy. We need to talk."

He glanced at the clock, sighing. "Granger, it's after midnight. I'm sure your obsessive Head duties can wait until the morning." He yanked off his clock and threw it on the couch, then stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "I know it must come to a surprise to you, but not all of us are studying robots who can last days without sleep."

"This isn't about Head duties," she said, sitting down at the kitchen table. "Will you just sit down?"

Malfoy sighed. "Fine. Wait a sec." He walked over to the kitchen and took out some ground coffee and mugs.

"What are you doing?"

"Making coffee," replied Malfoy, putting two scoops into the coffee maker. "I need something to make sure the drone of your voice doesn't put me to sleep."

Hermione rolled her eyes at his insult, then paused, thinking. "How do you know what coffee is? They don't serve it in the Wizarding world."

"I'm not completely ignorant of Muggle life."

"Could have fooled me," Hermione muttered, but she still watched intently as he placed cream, sugar, and two steaming cups of coffee on the table in front of her, then sat down across the table.

"So, what is so important that I'm being forced away from my bed?" Malfoy asked, sipping his coffee black. Hermione cringed, pulling the sugar to her and placing several scoops in the mug. She couldn't stand the bitter taste of black coffee.

"A few things," Hermione said, musing over what to start with so as to not scare him away before they discussed everything. She stirred her coffee thoughtfully and decided to start with the most pressing matter. "Marissa told me something interesting today…"

Malfoy snorted. "Marissa is about as air-headed as Loony Lovegood. You shouldn't believe everything she says."

Hermione glared at him. "That's no way to speak about a fellow Prefect," she scolded, but he ignored her. She continued on, still angry. "Anyways, what she said is pretty serious, and as a Slytherin, I figured you might know something about it…" The ticking of the clock above the mantelpiece seemed oddly loud to Hermione in the silence, and she counted fifteen seconds before continuing in a soft voice. "She said the Death Eaters were coming back."

Malfoy was silent for a long time, his jaw set and his coffee cooling in front of him. "You mean as a Death Eater, I might know something about it," he whispered, his voice vicious.

"Your words, not mine."

Malfoy looked up to meet Hermione's eyes, and she drew back slightly, shocked at the anger smoldering in his gray orbs. "Your people put hundreds in Azkaban. Many with families, with children… all of whom are angry. They have no solid leader yet, but there are many who are willing. Did you really think they would just disappear?" He shook his head, turning away. "They're mad at me. My family publically denounced Voldemort, and they're angry. That's why my sister slept here the other night; she's frightened by the other kids talking about their return. I promised I had switched sides when I returned this year, and I'm not going back on that promise, not with Clarise. That life is no life for a little girl."

"Or any child," replied Hermione before she even realized she was speaking, staring at Malfoy and taking in the lines on his face once again. He had only been a little kid when circumstances had thrust him into the war, just like Harry had been.

Malfoy laughed bitterly. "Better to be a boy than a girl in that world. But it's nothing to worry about yet. I know what's going on, and I'm keeping an eye on it." He took a long sip of his coffee, apparently letting the hot liquid sooth his nerves. "What else was there? Clarise, I'm assuming?"

"Yes, and… and your father."

"Like I said, dead. After he denounced Voldemort, some Death Eaters paid our Manor a visit… I only just got Clarise out in time. I Apparated both of us to the castle before the rest of the school arrived. I was able to go back a few weeks ago, and I got all our stuff… found my parent's bodies and buried them behind the house without markers, so their graves wouldn't be disturbed." His eyes had lost all emotion, and he spoke the words calmly, as if they were discussing the weather.

"Malfoy… I'm so sorry…" murmured Hermione, reaching out unconsciously and placing her hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him. He yanked his arm away immediately and glared at her.

"They were Death Eaters, remember? According to your kind, they deserved it."

"No one deserves that. They had switched sides…"

"But no one believed them. You can never be trusted once you switch sides."

Hermione turned her head away, letting the sweet aroma of the coffee waft into her nose and envelope her in memories of her home. She didn't know how to continue; with Harry and Ron, she had always firmly believed they were good, despite any stupid mistake they might have made. But it was much harder to convince Malfoy of something when she wasn't fully sure of it herself.

"If no one trusts you, why did Professor McGonagall name you Head Boy?"

Malfoy laughed again. "Please. Head Boy is the most public role she could give me. My schedule is always posted for teachers to see. These new dorms keep me conveniently away from the other Slytherins who might be plotting something. And it doesn't hurt that the Head Girl is Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes, War-Hero Hermione Granger."

"Professor McGonagall wouldn't do that…"

"But Dumbledore would, and he's the one who assigned us to this stupid job." Draco finished his coffee in one last swig and stood up, shoving his chair back behind him with a loud screech. "Look, it doesn't matter. I get it. I'm a Slytherin. I automatically get treated differently. I bet you were shocked by Marissa, weren't you? You didn't think she belonged in that House, because she's so good?"

"I never said that!"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I know you're used to Potter and Weasel, but not everyone needs you to say what you think to know what's on your mind. It's what everyone thinks when they see Marissa. And I'm used to it, because nothing's going to change. So if you're done interrogating me, I'm going to bed." With that Malfoy turned on his heels and stormed into his room, his face emotionless.

Hermione let her head fall to the cool wooden table, her hair fanning out around her and shielding her from the violent light above. She had assumed he would become angry at her questions, but his reaction hadn't been what she had expected. She had caught a glimpse of his eyes as he turned around. She had expected to see pain, but they were empty.

She quickly cleared the table, not wanting any evidence of their conversation to be left in the morning to spark another argument. After she set the mugs in the drying rack she walked back to her room, drying her hands on the front of her robes as she walked and trying not to look at Malfoy's door, which he had slammed shut. Her mind was foggy from lack of sleep and confusion.

That night, images of hooded figures with white masks haunted her dreams for the first time since they had defeated Voldemort.


	10. Chapter 10

****I'm sorry, guys. School takes prescedence over writing, unfortunately. But here's another chapter, with both Draco, Clarise (whom I hope you all will grow to love), and Ronald!

Please comment! Anything is appreciated, and it really encourages me to write more. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, anything! Thank you!

Anything you recognize is not mine. 

**Chapter Ten**

The next morning Hermione decided to eat in the dorms rather than go to the Great Hall. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, having woken up every few hours, and wanted the peace and quiet that her dorm offered. Besides, the Great Hall didn't serve coffee, and she was going to need it after staying up so late the night before.

She was just pouring her coffee into a mug when she heard a knock on the door. Wondering who would be visiting that early in the morning, she pulled her sweater tighter around her shoulders and walked to the door, holding her steaming mug in her hands.

"Good morning," said the small girl standing in front of Hermione when she opened the door. She recognized her as Malfoy's little sister from the other night and stepped aside to let the girl inside. The girl looked much too energetic for so early in the day, with wide-open eyes and a bright smile. "Is Draco awake yet?"

Hermione hesitated, glancing at the Head Boy's door and realizing she hadn't even given him a thought that morning.; her mind had been busy contemplating her nightmares from the night before and wondering if the Death Eaters could truly return without Voldemort. "Um, I'm not sure… he might have gone down to the Great Hall already."

"He wouldn't have, we eat breakfast together every morning," the girl replied, walking past her to Malfoy's door. Hermione stood at the main door, still shocked at the girl's appearance; they didn't often get visitors in their new dorms.

"Draco! Wake up!" Clarise yelled, pounding on her brother's door. Hermione stifled a laugh; the girl was obviously used to getting what she wanted, not unlike Malfoy. "Draco!"

Malfoy opened the door while Clarise was mid-knock, grabbing her little fist to stop it from colliding with his chest. "All right, all right; I'm up, and I'm sure the rest of the castle is too now, thanks to you." Malfoy chuckled, his voice gentle and good-natured.

"Everyone's already up, you sleep longer than anyone I know!" Clarise pulled her brother to the kitchen table, laughing. "Come on, I'm hungry, and classes start in half an hour!"

Hermione followed the pair slowly, watching the strange interaction between the Malfoys. The elder had a look of fondness permanently in his eyes when with the girl, one that Hermione couldn't seem to match to the sneer he had worn all the previous year.

"I'll just bring this upstairs and let you two eat," said Hermione, slipping into the kitchen and picking up her mug. Malfoy gave a brief nod, but his sister, not knowing of the bitter relationship between the two, rushed over and grabbed her hand in hers.

"No, join us! I want to get to know my brother's roommate! He never talks about you no matter how many times I ask!" Looking deep into her eyes with her own silver ones, she pouted. "Please?"

Hermione glanced at Malfoy for his approval, and he shrugged. "All right," she conceded, and allowed herself to be dragged to the table and seated right next to the younger girl and across from Malfoy.

"Where we ever this hyper?" she asked after sitting down, grinning at the little girl. Her energy worked better at waking her up than coffee did.

"Well, Clarise here has a special fondness for sugar," replied Malfoy, rolling his eyes with a smile. "And I think somebody got into the sweets this morning."

Clarise grinned back, a guilty look on her face. "I couldn't help myself! Meghan's Mum sent Sugar Quills to her yesterday. I grabbed one thinking it was my quill, and when I realized it was sugar, of course I had to eat it!

"At 8am?"

"_Of course!"_

Clarise then turned to Hermione, who had curled her legs beneath her and was sipping her coffee contently, enjoying watching the pair. It reminded her of the Burrow, where everyone was comfortable and familiar with one another, something she had rarely experienced as a single child.

"So you're the Head Girl, right?" asked Clarise. "My name is Clarise Malfoy, but Draco calls me Reese. He never talks about you, even though I ask _every_ morning. I've heard loads about you from other kids though. You're the smartest kid in school, right?"

Hermione blushed at the comment. "Well, your brother is pretty close in grades," she admitted.

"He's really smart," Clarise agreed, beaming at her brother. She turned back to Hermione. "And you're friends with Harry Potter, right? Most kids in my House don't really seem to like him, but I sit with a girl in Ravenclaw during Potions and she says Harry Potter is the best wizard of our age. Is that true?"

Hermione could feel Malfoy's eyes on her as she struggled to answer the girl. What was she supposed to say – that her best friend had defeated the man her parents had followed for years, had despised her brother throughout their entire school life? "He is very talented, though rather lazy when it comes to class work," she finally answered, deciding it was a safe and true statement.

"Malfoy's really lazy too. I keep telling him to work harder, but he says he's _busy._ But he needs to do well in school if he wants to be an Auror!"

Hermione glanced up at Malfoy, surprised. "You want to be an Auror?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe."

Hermione found herself talking at him despite his obvious lack of interest in the subject, energized by the smaller girl. "I haven't really thought much after life after Hogwarts yet. We've been here so long, it's hard to imagine there's anything else. My parents wish for me to return to the Muggle world, though, for college."

"What's college?" asked Clarise, clearly not enjoying being left out of the conversation.

Malfoy answered before Hermione had a chance. "It's a school for Muggles. But why would your parents want you to go there?"

Hermione stared into her coffee, watching the dark liquid swirl in her mug. "They don't think Hogwarts will give me adequate job opportunities, and that I need a degree to fall back on if "the magic thing doesn't work out". They're just trying to look out for me, I know, and I am rather clueless as to what I want to do, so maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea."

"You'll forget all you've learned. You would never be able to use magic with all those Muggles around."

Hermione shook her head, still refusing to look up. She had never discussed career options with Harry or Ron, and they had never asked. It seemed everyone at Hogwarts just assumed she would stay there, but her parents' argument had slowly been getting to her. And after the war, she wasn't sure she would object to having a break from this world so obsessed with blood purity. "There's more to life than just magic."

"Not in this world."

The chair screeched as Hermione stood up and pushed it backward, causing Clarise, who had been entertaining herself by tracing flowers into a pile of sugar that Hermione had spilled earlier, to jump. "But I don't belong in this world, remember?" Hermione said, her voice vicious. Her mind flashed back to her dreams from the previous night, of all the torture she had endured for her birth. "I'm a Mudblood." She turned and stormed across the living area to her bedroom, slamming the door shut and cursing herself for letting Malfoy get to her.

As she left, she heard Clarise whisper to Malfoy, "What's a Mudblood?"

* * *

><p>Hermione waited until she heard Malfoy and Clarise leave the Common Room before she ventured out of her bedroom. She had the morning off while Malfoy was in Herbology, and she was planning to take a walk around the Black Lake as she hadn't gotten many chances to escape the castle since her arrival.<p>

As she began walking up the slow incline from the dungeons to the main doors, she felt transformed. Every step seemed lighter, every breath sweeter. She was suddenly aware the fragility of the aged paperback book that she held in her hands, and the softness of the pink sweater she had donned before she left. She hadn't had a chance to really just take in life for quite some time; even her dreams were haunted by the memory of Death Eaters and offered no escape. She was the only student in the castle taking all Advanced level courses – even Malfoy, who often rivaled her in class, was in standard Herbology and an unleveled Muggle Studies course. And she had twice the typical work of a Head Girl, as the Head Boy often didn't make much effort.

The crisp, autumn air brought a flush to her cheeks as she pushed the heavy oak doors open and stepped outside. She turned towards Hagrid's cabin out of habit, and felt a wave of sorrow when she saw no smoke drifting out of the hut. He had been injured during the war fighting the other giants, and was still recovering at St. Mungos.

Hermione pulled her book close to her chest and took off down the grassy hill toward the still, glassy lake. During the later spring months the lake was full of motion, with kids taking boats across and swimming in the shallow ends, but she preferred it when it was calm, even more in the winter when patches of ice claimed the surface.

There was an old birch tree that Hermione had discovered many years ago, and it was to this tree that she immediately walked. The soft bark molded perfectly against the arch of her back, and she was able to lose herself in her books there while listening to the wind wisp past her.

Hours later, When Hermione was finally pulled out of her book by approaching footsteps, the sun was nearly directly over her head and the Giant Squid had surfaced to sun itself, causing the water to ripple.

"Hey 'Mione," said Ron, coming over and plopping down on the soft grass beside her. "Whatcha doing?"

Hermione sighed, shutting her book reluctantly. Ron really had the worst timing sometimes.

"Just doing a bit of reading. I had the morning off. Shouldn't you be in Herbology with M-" she paused, catching herself, "Harry?"

"No," replied Ron casually, not noticing her mistake. "I was put in remedial Herbology. It's a joke class anyway, not like I'm ever going to need the stuff."

"Oh, no, of course not. Not like you'll ever have to be able to escape, oh, I don't know, the Devil's Snare?"

Ron drew circles in a patch of dirt beside him, muttering under his breath, "Okay, so maybe I needed it _once._"

Hermione sighed again, annoyed with his obvious lack of effort in school. His name and involvement in the war guaranteed him a job as soon as summer began, and he seemed to think that meant he could spend the remainder of the year goofing off. "Did you want something, Ron? I was rather enjoying my book."

"What, a guy can't talk to one of his best friends anymore? I never see you nowadays, so when I saw you out here I figured I'd come say hi."

"Hello then," relied Hermione, letting her voice soften. She was being rather harsh on Ron. She hadn't seen much of either him or Harry since they arrived at school, and although she missed them greatly, she had been too busy to really consider their absence.

Ron lowered his head, becoming immersed in the drawing he was creating beside him. "I miss you, 'Mione. Harry does too. We never see you anymore."

"Well, I am in the dungeons now. It's rather far away from the Gryffindor towers," she conceded logically.

"Yeah, with that prick Malfoy," Ron said, digging deeper into the dirt. He turned and faced Hermione. "Why can't you just stay with us in the towers? You could stay with Ginny, or with… with me. There's no reason for you to be living with Malfoy."

"It's for inter-House-"

"I don't care!" yelled Ron, hitting the ground with his fist. He turned and faced her, his long legs awkwardly sprawled behind him. Hermione suddenly caught herself comparing him with the more graceful Malfoy, and shut her eyes, trying to dispose of the thought.

"Hermione, I just want you back in my life," Ron murmured, and before Hermione could comprehend why he sounded so much closer his lips were on hers and his hands were grasping either side of her face.

Hermione jerked back, pushing him away with both hands. "Ronald!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. "What are you doing?"

"I just… I thought…" said Ron, fidgeting under her angry glare. Hermione stood up and held her book close to her chest.

"I've got to go meet Malfoy," she said, knowing that the name would sting Ron. "Good bye." As Hermione rushed up the hill to the main doors, Ron fell back against the tree that Hermione so often rested against, only to have the unfamiliar bark dig into his back.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys! This is shorter than what I normally write, but I figured you'd rather shorter chapters more frequently than longer chapters once a month? Is that correct? Please let me know. :)

Also, I want to hit 50 reviews before I post my next chapter, which is mainly written. I see a lot of you favoriting this, so do me a favor and just leave a quick review! It really makes me feel great. Thanks to those of you who have been reviewing!

Let me know what you think!

As always, anything you recognize is not mine. 

**Chapter Eleven**

Hermione decided to eat in her dorm once again for lunch, not wanting to have to face Ron so soon after their kiss. Every time she rejected him, he pretended nothing had happened, and she was not in the mood to listen to him talk as if he hadn't done anything wrong. She had done absolutely nothing to make him think she would even remotely want him to kiss her, and thought she had made her feelings – or lack thereof – toward him clear that summer.

She stormed down to the dungeons, letting her anger grow inside of her. She was sick of Ron. He never appreciated her until he discovered this stupid little crush, and now he refused to respect her wishes and leave their friendship as it was. And she had no doubt he was telling Harry endless lies about her, pushing the trio even further apart. As if their dorms didn't already do that!

When she reached the elf statue she pounded at the wall with the side of her fist, muttering angrily to herself. She pulled back in surprise when the door opened and Blaise Zabini's tall form appeared in in front of her.

"Blaise? What are you doing here?" she asked, momentarily pulled from her anger.

"Just visiting Malfoy," he said casually, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. "Did Miss Granger really forget the password?" he taunted. Hermione immediately felt her anger flood back.

"It's one of Dumbledore's stupid ideas," replied Malfoy before Hermione could answer. He walked up behind Blaise, pulling his shirt sleeves down to his wrists as he walked. "We can only enter at the same time, or we have to have someone from the inside open the door."

Blaise laughed, stepping back to let the still fuming Hermione inside. "Should've known this whole set-up was that old kook's plan."

"Shut up, Blaise. He's a better wizard than you'll ever hope to be!" Hermione's hand tightened on her wand, and she willed herself not to get out of control; it wouldn't look very good if the Head Girl attacked a student, but she was already so riled up from Ron it took every ounce of her power not to point it at his temple and curse him into oblivion.

"Ohh, feisty today, aren't we Granger?" replied Blaise, smirking. Hermione ignored him; instead, her eyes were glued on Malfoy, daring him to insult her even once and give her an excuse to hex him. His eyes flickered down to her wand, and he turned away.

"Come on, Blaise. We can talk in my room," he said over his shoulder.

Once the door had shut behind the two boys, Hermione let her hand relax and sighed deeply. She was exhausted, and suddenly the idea of preparing lunch for herself wasn't very appealing. She glanced at Malfoy's door, wondering what the two Slytherin's were discussing, then decided it wasn't worth her lack of sleep and walked over to her bedroom for a quick nap before Potions.

* * *

><p>"Granger, get up!"<p>

Hermione jerked upright in bed, her blankets twisted around her legs.

Malfoy's voice came again. "It's time for class!" She shook her head, trying to get her bearings. She had Potions. She had slept through lunch. She was in her room and if she didn't leave now she would be late and face Professor Snape's rath.

"I'm coming!" she called back, but the bang of the main door told her that he had already left. She grabbed her book bag and rushed out after him, hurriedly coming through her knotted hair with her fingers.

She absolutely dreaded Potions, and wasn't surprised that she had nearly slept through the class. It was made up of nearly all Slytherins, and Professor Snape definitely favored his House. It had been manageable with Harry and Ron the previous year, but without them she had no one to distract her from the torment from Professor Snape and the Slytherins.

"Tardy, Miss Granger?" asked Professor Snape as Hermione stumbled into class a few minutes later, panting and out of breath. She had realized halfway to class that she forgot her Potions book and had to run back, causing her to be late.

"I'm sorry Professor," she replied, pushing her hair out of her face and glancing around for a seat. She caught sight of an empty table in the back of the room and hurried over to it, grateful she wasn't forced to sit next to a Slytherin.

"Miss Granger, you will sit up here today," said Professor Snape, motioning to the only other empty seat in the room. "We will be making a potion that requires a partner and everyone has to pair up." A snide grin appeared on his face. "Although you may be able to pass for two with your current hair." Hermione immediately brushed her hair back as the class burst into laughter, cursing it for being so bushy whenever she ran.

Hermione looked where Professor Snape had pointed and immediately paled. The only other seat open was directly next to Malfoy.

"Professor, can't I just work alone…?" she asked, begging him with her eyes. She had finally calmed herself down from her meeting with Ron, and she did not need Malfoy to rile her up again.

"No. Now obey me before I take points away from Gryffindor," he replied. He turned away as Hermione gathered her books and slowly began walking through the aisles toward Malfoy. "You will open to page three hundred and four," he said as he walked to the chalkboard, where he wrote the page number. "One partner will complete the Love Potion on the left-hand page, and the other will complete the Hate Potion on the right-hand page. You will then each sample a small spoonful of each. If you make them correctly, the potions will cancel one another out. You have one hour. Begin now."

Hermione groaned as she sat next to Malfoy, pulling out her Potions book. "Of course I would be partnered with _you_," she muttered.

"Just get to work," he snapped back, clearly angry as well. "I'll make the Hate Potion."

"Of course you would."

Malfoy paused with his hands on his book, closing his eyes and setting his jaw. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounded like."

Malfoy swung around to face Hermione, his face venomous and his voice low. "I'm sure the Love Potion will be no problem for you. That is how you got Krum fourth year, isn't it?"

"Following my love life now, Malfoy?"

"You wish."

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger, fifty-five minutes," called out Professor Snape, pulling the two out of the staring contest they had begun. Hermione pulled her hair out from behind her ears, blocking Malfoy from her view, and stared at the ingredients list.

The sound of crackling fires beneath cauldrons barely registered in Hermione's ears as she continued to stare at the page. She wished she had just stayed in bed. It was so cold in the dungeons, and everyone was being so _loud_.

"Get going," hissed Malfoy beside her, tossing fly wings into his cauldron and stirring the concoction. "I'm not failing this course because your head is in the clouds!"

Hermione barely heard him, her mind surrounded by a fog. She shook her head, trying to snap out of the trance she was in. After lighting the fire beneath her cauldron she went to the cabinet to collect her ingredients. She barely comprehended the words before her as she began mixing the potion.

"Watch it!" said Malfoy a few minutes later, grabbing her hand and stopping her from throwing in the ashwinder eggs she was clutching. "Those go in last. Look, you skipped five steps!"

"Leave me alone Malfoy," she replied, yanking her hand away. "I know what I'm doing."

"Obviously not, and if I'm going to be swallowing that potion, you better make it right."

"Shut up Malfoy!" yelled Hermione, accidently dropping the eggs into her bubbling cauldron in her anger. She stood gawking at it for a moment before Malfoy pulled on her robes.

"Get down!" he yelled, pushing her to the floor and covering her body with his own. The boiling liquid exploded, splattering the floor surrounding them. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the burn that never came. She slowly opened her eyes as the room quieted, and she saw Malfoy's face inches from her own, distorted by pain.

"Malfoy?" she asked, but he just shook his head, pushing himself off her and ripping off his robes. Hermione let out a light gasp when she saw the holes that had scorched through his clothing.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, pulling off his shirt as well. He grimaced as the fabric pulled on his back. "I told you not to put them in yet!"

"I dropped them!"

"Silence," said Professor Snape, stepping up beside the pair who were still sitting on the floor. He glanced around the floor and noted that the potion had only spread a few feet. "Both of you, to the infirmary. When she releases you return here to clean this mess and complete your potions." He turned to the rest of the class, most of who were also on the floor. "Well? Get going. Thirty-five minutes left."


	12. Chapter 12

You are all so lovely! This story now has over 50 reviews and over 50 followers. Thank you so much! Can we hit 60 before Chapter 13?

There's some more of Malfoy showing emotions in this one, which I think you guys will like. I realize it's short, but I really didn't want to add another section; I love the current ending. (Also, shorter=faster, so that's good, right?)

I own nothing you recognize.

**Chapter Twelve**

"What happened here?" asked Madame Pomfrey as Hermione and Malfoy entered the infirmary. Hermione was once again shocked at how calm she seemed; she had yet to see an injury faze the older witch. She motioned for Malfoy to turn around, which he did, wringing his ruined shirt in his hands. "Tsk tsk tsk… Potions class, I presume?"

"Yes, Madame," replied Hermione guiltily. Her eyes darted to Malfoy's exposed back and she grimaced at the angry red welts she saw forming. "I… I accidently added the ashwinder wings too early, and the potion exploded."

"I keep telling Professor Snape to stick with Potions that don't require such high temperatures, but does he ever listen?" she asked, walking over to a counter full of cotton swaps, lotions, and creams. She began to mix ingredients, holding bottles up to the lamp to check the labels. "So this was a… Love Potion, I would think?"

"Yes Madame."

She nodded and added more ingredients, muttering to herself as she worked. She glanced over her shoulder at the two teens who had not yet moved. "Go ahead and have a seat on that bed, dear. Miss Granger, you can take the bed beside him."

Hermione glanced at Malfoy again, who nodded blankly. She suddenly wanted to get very far away from him. "Oh, I'm not hurt… I should probably return to class."

"I still need to check you over to make sure," replied Madame Pomfrey, using a spoon to dab her remedy onto a cotton swab. "Sit."

Hermione hesitated for a moment but then walked toward Malfoy, who had already taken a seat. She gingerly sat on the edge of one of them and gripped the edges, her eyes downcast. She forced herself to look anywhere but at Malfoy; between his angry eyes and muscled chest, she knew she would regret even a glance.

"This may sting a tad," sad Madame Pomfrey, coming up behind Malfoy. She placed a large beaker onto the table beside the bed, then placed on knee on the bed, holding a wet cotton swab in one hand and resting her free hand on his shoulder to steady him. Malfoy flinched at the contact, causing her to tighten her grip to regain her balance. "Sorry about that dear," she said, noticing the pain that had suddenly flashed across his face. "Just relax, I've got to clean each of these welts."

Hermione's resolve left her as she heard Malfoy's sharp intake of breath at the first touch of the cotton swab. She looked up and leaned forward slightly, wishing she could help, but he was staring at the floor, concentrating completely on a single tile. He clutched the side of the bed, his knuckles white, as Madame Pomfrey cleaned each of his wounds.

"There we go, all done," said Madame Pomfrey ten minutes later, pulling off the gloves she wore and tossing them and the cotton swaps into the nearby trashcan. Malfoy's breathing was labored, and he still stared at the floor. "Lay on your stomach now while I look over Hermione. The stinging should fade in a moment." He nodded swiftly, but didn't move. His entire body was stiff, his muscles clenched. Hermione looked into her lap, ashamed that her ineptness had caused him such pain.

"I'm fine, truly," she said, but Madame Pomfrey simply 'tsked' again and pulled the blue curtain closed around the bed.

"Just take off your robe and blouse, dear, and let me get a look at your back."

Hermione sighed but obliged, turning around and holding her shirt to her chest after pulling it off. She felt the older witch's cold hands brush against her back, examining it, before she declared her to be scratch free. She slipped out from behind the curtain to let Hermione redress.

"How are you feeling Mr. Malfoy," she asked cheerfully. Hermione paused, her robe halfway on, listening closely for his answer. "Has the stinging ceased?"

"Yeah," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. Hermione closed her eyes at his answer, hearing the pain still in his comment. He had protected her and took the full blow himself. "Can we leave now?" Hermione pulled open the curtain, fully dressed once again, and looked to Madame Pomfrey for her answer. She wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of leaving just yet if he was still in pain.

The witch examined Malfoy's back once more, nodding briskly. "Yes, this should heal well. Nothing permanent, although the red welts may not fade for several weeks. However, you will need to apply the cream I prepared to your back once a night for two weeks to prevent scarring." She walked back to the bedside table and picked up the beaker, then poured it into a container at the counter. "You two may leave, but be sure to take it easy for a few days, Mr. Malfoy. No Quidditch. Now wait here while I get you a replacement shirt." She left the room, her long robes brushing the floor as she walked.

"I'm sorry," murmured Hermione, her eyes on her shoes. "I was just… distracted."

"Obviously."

She forced herself to ignore his rude comment, telling herself it was just the pain coming through. They sat in silence for a moment, Hermione replaying the scene in the Potions classroom over in her head. "Why did you… cover me?" she finally asked, mentally hitting herself for her ineloquence. Trust her brain to fail her now.

Before he could respond, Madame Pomfrey swept into the room with a new shirt for Malfoy, and Hermione never could tell if he would have answered her had they not been interrupted.

* * *

><p>Hermione and Malfoy stood side by side as Professor Snap leered over them when they returned after Transfiguration. "You two," he began, his voice slow and deliberate, "will serve detention here the next three Friday evenings. You will clean this mess <em>without<em> the use of magic, and you will successfully complete the two potions assigned before leaving for the evening." He glared at them, daring them to argue.

Hermione stayed silent, not daring to cross a teacher and knowing she did deserve the punishment – it was 7th Year Advanced Potions, she shouldn't have made such a juvenile mistake. Malfoy was less reserved.

"But sir," he said, attempting to remain civil, "I have strategy for Quidditch on Fridays."

"Maybe you should have thought of that before making a mess of my classroom," replied Professor Snape coolly.

"Sir, it's your House too…"

"And you've been making a fool of it in your recent behavior. I would expect more out of a Malfoy. Get to work, and report here on Friday at 6pm sharp."

Malfoy waited for Professor Snape to retreat into his office before banging his fist on the desk. "He can't do this to me. This is my seventh year, I'm the bloody _captain, _of his own House! He can't do this."

Hermione ignored the fuming blonde, instead walking to the sink and wetting a cloth. She had dealt with enough of Ron's temper tantrums in the past to know to just leave him be.

"We're gonna bloody lose to the _Gryffindors_. Potter and the Weasels." He snorted in disgust.

"Shut it, Malfoy," said Hermione, looking up from the desk she had begun to wipe down. "Those are my friends. Don't talk about them like that."

"It's your bloody fault we're here in the first place! If you could complete a simple potion correctly-"

"I was tired!"

"Boo-hoo. Get over it, Granger. Stop letting your petty problems interfere with my life."

"Petty problems?" She dropped her cloth on the table she was working on and walked up to Malfoy, who hadn't moved since hitting the desk, and whose hands were still clenched by his sides. Her hair framed her face in a wild mess. "Petty? Oh, well of course they're _nothing_ compared to yours. You have to worry about your slave House Elfs getting you your meal on time, the horror!"

"Shut your mouth," said Malfoy, stepping dangerously close. His breath was hot against her forehead, and she closed her eyes for a moment at the closeness. She suddenly wished she wore heels so she wouldn't feel so small beside him.

An instant later she pulled away, but he grabbed her wrist and held her in place. His nails dug into her pale skin. "I've been through things," he began, his face still looming in front of hers, "you could _never_ imagine. I don't care what stupid little adventures you went on with Potter and Weasel." He tightened his grip on her and she flinched. "You've never been Crucioed so many times you couldn't see straight. You've never been forced to protect your little sister from the most powerful Dark wizard on Earth. You've never been forced to watch your parents die. You've never been forced to _murder_ someone."

Hermione froze at his words. She stopped struggling and her face softened; his eyes showed pain she had rarely seen in them before. Before she realized what she was doing, she murmured his name. "Draco…"

His eyes closed, and for a moment Hermione thought he would let down his guard, but in the next instant he had pulled away. When he opened his eyes they were emotionless again.


	13. Chapter 13

I'm so sorry that I've been so absent lately! Life has just overwhelmed me, it seems. Here's a new chapter, with the love potion, but with very little fluff, I'm afraid. I hate how Ooc the characters can get under the love potion, so it's not very long. But there is a sweet, real moment, and then of course Malfoy has to be a prat again. But they'll fall in love soon, I'm sure!

Please review, I swear it's the only reason I remembered to update this story at all!

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Just let me do it," said Malfoy, grabbing the knife from Hermione's shaking hand. "I don't need another explosion because you can't use a bloody knife."

She relented the knife and looked down at her open Potions book, trying to focus on the small words. "I'll go get the… moonstump."

"It says moon_stone_. Really, what's wrong with you today?" he asked, slicing the peppermint into small pieces. "Just stop trying to help and sit over there." Hermione glared at him, angry that her ineptness was so obvious. She shook her head to clear it and walked over to the cupboard as steadily as she was able.

"I'm just a little tired," she said as she came back gripping the moonstone in her hands. "In case you haven't noticed, I've had quite a bit to do this year."

"And I haven't?" Malfoy asked, glancing up from the cauldron and rolling his eyes at her. "You're not the only Head student, or the only student in all advanced classes."

"Except Herbology," she muttered, then blushed when he paused in her work to stare at her. "Sorry," she added sheepishly.

"And on top of all that, Quidditch and extra rounds," he said, tossing the peppermint into the cauldron and taking the moonstone from her hands. "I haven't had more than five hours of sleep in a night since arriving."

"You had all morning off yesterday."

"Well, some of us still like to speak to our old friends. I was with Blaise. Noticed you haven't been seeing much of Potter or Weasley."

Hermione looked away, a blush creeping up her neck when she remembered her horrible kiss with Ron that morning. "Like you said, we're both busy."

"At least there are some benefits then. When I heard I would be rooming with you I was worried you'd always be snogging the Weasel in the living area."

Hermione laughed bitterly. "I would never willingly snog him, don't worry about that."

"Potter then? That must cause some strain in your friendship with the Weaslette."

"No, not Harry. Neither of them. They're like my brothers," she said, picking up a wooden spoon and stirring the bubbling potion.

"Fourteen clockwise, fifteen counter," he said. He tossed the moonstone in and began setting up a second cauldron for the hate potion. They continued to work in silence for ten minutes until Hermione spoke up.

"You haven't had any girls around either. I thought you were the Slytherin Sex God – what, did the girls finally get some sense?" she asked, shocked at her own boldness.

Malfoy snickered at her comment. "Keeping up with the gossip, are you? And just because you don't see any girls doesn't mean there aren't any."

"But there aren't, are there?" she taunted.

"Like I said, we've both been very busy," he said, smirking at the confused look that crossed her face at his ambiguity.

An hour later Professor Snape peered into the two cauldrons, his face hiding any indication of the quality of their performance. He filled two goblets with the love potion, and two with the hate potion. "Well, let's just see if these work, shall we?" he said, leering down at the two teenagers. "Let's begin with the… love potions. I doubt I would be able to notice the affects of hate in you two. Each of you take one of the goblets and hand it to the other, I don't need anyone falling in love with me here."

Hermione shakily picked up the cauldron with the light pink color and handed it to Malfoy, careful not to let her fingers touch his. "Bottoms up," said Professor Snape, and they both gulped down the potion.

The two of them blinked for a moment, and then their angry glares disappeared and were replaced with goofy smiles. Malfoy winked at her, and Hermione blushed deeply.

Professor Snape looked down on the two students in disgust, shoving the hate potion into their hands. "Hurry up and take this one. I don't need to be present when you two begin snogging each other."

"Here you go," Hermione said shyly, handing Malfoy the potion. He grinned back and gave her the other glass, and they both drank. Malfoy's smile immediately faded, and he looked down at the potion in disgust. "I did _not_ just wink at _Granger_."

"It seems the potions both worked. Clean up your station, and then you two are dismissed for the night" replied Professor Snape, turning around to return to his desk. Malfoy gathered three of the glasses, then looked up when he realized Hermione still clutched one in her hand.

"Granger, give me the glass," he said, reaching out to take it from her. She didn't respond. Her eyes were glassed over, and she was swaying slightly.

"I don't feel very well," she murmured, before slumping onto the table in a faint.

* * *

><p>"Back already?" asked Madame Pomfrey as Professor Snape and Malfoy entered thirty minutes later. Hermione had come to after about five minutes, and had protested being levitated to the infirmary enough that Professor Snape had agreed to let her walk, so long as Malfoy assisted her. He had his arm wrapped around her waist, and as they came to a stop in the doorway, she slumped against his side. His grip on her tightened to support the weight, but she was too tired to notice the grimace that overtook his face as his back muscles tightened.<p>

"They sampled the two potions they made, and Ms. Granger fainted," said Professor Snape swiftly. Madame Pomfrey shook her head.

"Severus, I keep telling you to be more careful with the potions your students create." She motioned to Malfoy to follow her to a bed and pulled back the sheets for Hermione to crawl beneath. "First Mr. Malfoy is burned by the potion, and now Ms. Granger faints? Honestly." The older witch turned to Hermione and smiled kindly. "When's the last time you ate, dear?"

Hermione frowned, trying to remember. "I had coffee this morning," she said, realizing that it was all she had had all day. Madame Pomfrey _tsked_ again.

"This potion is not to be taken on an empty stomach. Severus, you should know that."

"The school had lunch right before this class, so I assumed they had all eaten," he replied, lifting his chin slightly and looking down at her, daring her to question his teaching methods further. Madame Pomfrey shook her head.

"Ms. Granger, you really should eat more, especially before Potions class."

"She's barely been eating for days." Hermione looked up at Malfoy as he said this, shocked. She hadn't thought anyone had noticed; she was always either too busy or too tired to eat, and had simply been passing up meals in favor of completing homework.

Madame Pomfrey looked down on Hermione, a worried look on her face. "Ms. Granger, you must not stress yourself to the point that it becomes unhealthy. I'll need you to stay here for another few hours to make sure you recover completely. Dinner will be sent up shortly." With that, she turned around to mend to the other ill students, and left Hermione alone with the Head Boy and their Professor.

"I expect you will be more careful in my class from now on, Ms. Granger. This really isn't the kind of behavior I would expect from Head Girl, and if it continues I'll have to speak to Professor McGonagall about moving you down to a remedial level." He turned and swept out of the room before Hermione had the chance to utter a single protest or apology. She slumped back against her pillow, defeated.

"Make sure you're awake at midnight, Granger, I have late rounds tonight," said Malfoy coolly, turning to follow his teacher out of the room.

"Don't we have rounds before dinner?" she asked, struggling to push herself up to follow him. "I doubt Madame Pomfrey will mind if I leave to do Head duties…"

"You know perfectly well that she would mind. Just stay here, I can cover the rounds for one night. And eat something this time, will you, Granger?"

* * *

><p>When Hermione walked into the Common Room the next morning, she was surprised to see Malfoy and Clarise sitting at the table eating waffles, with an extra plate and mug of coffee at the empty seat beside Malfoy.<p>

"Good morning!" exclaimed Clarie, a huge smile on her face. Hermione smiled back and walked over to the pair, eyeing the food. "We got breakfast for you!"

"Thank you, Clarise," replied Hermione, gingerly sitting down. When the girl was once again distracted by her food, she turned to Malfoy. "I can take care of myself," she muttered, glancing back at the food.

"Obviously not," he replied, shoving the plate at her. "You are rather heavy, and I'd rather not drag you back to the infirmary today." When Hermione opened her mouth to protest, he cut her off, saying, "Just eat," and turning back to his own food.

"Draco, what classes do you have today?" asked Clarise, not noticing the strain between the older students.

Malfoy glanced back at Hermione before answering. "Muggle Studies, Defense, and Charms," he muttered, quickly filling his mouth with another bite of waffle. Hermione hid a grin.

"Oh, I had Muggle Studies earlier this week! It's a really fun class, the teacher is great!"

"Aren't you excited, Malfoy?" teased Hermione, placing a small bite of waffle in her mouth. She smirked at the boy.

"Excited to learn about filthy creatures like your parents?" he spat. "I don't think so. The class is a waste of time if I've ever heard of one." Hermione froze, her grin gone. The food in her mouth suddenly felt like lead. She swallowed deeply, pushing it down her throat.

She was tempted to make a retort about his parents in return, but a glance at the confused look on Clarise's face stopped her. "I thought," she began, contemplating her words carefully, "that this year was supposed to be about forgiveness and moving on to a new future. If you're unable to do that... maybe you're not the best choice for this school."


End file.
